NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned Pyongyang and Moscow about sending North Korean soldiers to fight in the Ukraine war. North Korea deploying soldiers to fight with Russia in North Korea "would mark a significant escalation,

NATO chief Mark Rutte has warned that the alleged deployment of North Korean troops to Ukraine would significantly escalate the conflict. South Korea has summoned the Russian ambassador in protest. DW has the latest.

NATO said back in 2008 that Ukraine would one day join the alliance, and has consistently said that Kyiv's future lies with NATO. However, the timeline for bringing Ukraine into the alliance as never been clear, NATO keen to avoid becoming directly involved in the conflict and unsure of how Russia may respond.

If North Korea were to send troops to Ukraine to fight on Russia's behalf it would significantly escalate the conflict, NATO Chief Mark Rutte said on social media platform X on Monday.

North Korean troops joining Russia in Ukraine “would mark a significant escalation,” the NATO secretary-general said Monday. Mark Rutte said on X that he spoke with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol about the NATO-Seoul partnership,

If North Korea sent soldiers to support Russia in Ukraine, that would be "a significant escalation", NATO secretary general Mark Rutte warned on Monday.

A Russian state-news reporter promoted the pro-Kremlin belief shortly after a German spy similarly warned of Russia's alleged intentions.

Ukraine is on an "irreversible path" toward joining the Alliance. However, the ongoing war on its territory remains the main obstacle, states NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Gerry Connolly. "I believe we need to resolve this.

The Russian foreign ministry on Saturday, as reported by Reuters, stated that the admission of Ukraine to NATO will make a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict impossible and will also lead to its escalation.