Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced yesterday (December 28) that North Korean forces deployed to Russia's Kursk province are suffering heavy losses and are not protected.
The leader said the Ukrainian army had captured several North Korean soldiers, but they had all died of serious injuries in combat. South Korean intelligence also confirmed the information, according to Yonhap News Agency. Ukraine and the West believe there are about 12,000 North Korean soldiers in Kursk, where Kyiv sent troops in August.
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Russia and North Korea have so far not confirmed that Pyongyang's troops participated in the fighting. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on December 27 that about 1,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the fighting at Kursk over the past week.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg quoted two anonymous US officials predicting that Ukraine will only hold out in Kursk for a few more months before being forced to withdraw its troops to avoid casualties amid Russian counterattacks.
Ukrainian soldiers patrol in the town of Sudzha in Kursk in August.
On the other hand, The New York Times quoted US officials as saying that the ATACMS ballistic missile stockpile provided by the US to Ukraine is very low and Kyiv is having to limit its use in the context of the incoming US administration's ability to change its aid policy. Outgoing US President Joe Biden agreed in November to let Ukraine use ATACMS to attack Russian territory and Kyiv was said to have only about 50 missiles left at that time. Mr. Biden recently instructed the US Department of Defense to step up the supply of weapons to Ukraine and according to media reports, Washington is preparing to announce a military aid package worth 1.25 billion USD before the end of the year.
US President-elect Donald Trump said he would try to end the conflict soon but did not elaborate on his plans. Speaking on December 27, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was ready to mediate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. According to RT, Mr. Fico made the proposal during a recent visit to Moscow. When meeting Mr. Fico, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his support for Slovakia's neutral stance. Slovakia is a member of the EU and NATO but depends on gas from Russia. President Zelensky recently said he would no longer allow Russia to supply Slovakia with gas via pipelines through Ukraine when the agreement ends at the end of the year. Mr. Fico criticized this action as causing billions of dollars in damage to the EU and warned of retaliatory measures, including the possibility of cutting off electricity supplies to Ukraine.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ukraine-truoc-nguy-co-rut-khoi-kursk-185241228230439223.htm
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