In a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday, the French and Ukrainian foreign ministers stated that the deployment of North Korean regular troops to back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would constitute a significant escalation of the conflict.
France’s Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also scheduled to visit the country’s east on Sunday.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused North Korea on Thursday of sending officers alongside Russia and ready to send 10,000 soldiers to assist Moscow’s war effort, despite NATO commander Mark Rutte’s statement that there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s involvement at this time.
His Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, stated that the risk of escalation from the move was “huge.”
Earlier this week, Zelenskiy presented his ‘victory plan’ which he said would enable Ukraine to end the war no later than next year. The first step of this plan was unconditional NATO membership for Ukraine.
France’s foreign minister said Paris was open to the idea of an immediate invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, but that talks would continue on the subject with allies.
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