Putin could sacrifice North Korean soldiers as 'cannon fodder'

Vladimir Putin signed a so-called defence pact with Kim Jon-un during his trip to Pyongyang (Picture: AP)

Vladimir Putin could sacrifice soldiers from North Korea as ‘cannon fodder’ in Ukraine, the US has warned.

Russia’s president first visit in 24 years to the isolated East Asian country resulted in a so-called defence pact with Kim Jong-un.

Both nations committed to providing military assistance to each other if either is attacked, during a summit in Pyongyang.

There have been concerns that North Korea will actively join Putin’s bloodshed in Ukraine, deploying troops on the ground, as a result to the treaty.

Now Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder confirmed that this is something that the US is ‘keeping an eye on’.

In a briefing on Tuesday evening, he was questioned about the possibility of Kim’s forces being sent to Ukraine.

The two leaders pictured in a car in Pyongyang, North Korea (Picture: AP)

He replied: ‘I think that if I were North Korean military personnel management, I would be questioning my choices on sending my forces to be cannon fodder in an illegal war against Ukraine.

‘And we have seen the kinds of casualties that Russian forces… but again, it is something that we will keep an eye on.’

But Mr Ryder did not say there was any indication of North Korean troops actually being sent into combat.

North Korean state media released the text of the agreement, which also includes broader cooperation in military, foreign policy and trade. But Russia did not share their version.

What we know about the partnership between Russia and North Korea

Most of the debate over the partnership agreement revolves around the article that pledges mutual aid.

According to North Korean state media, the section states that if one gets invaded and is pushed into a state of war, the other must deploy ‘all means at its disposal without delay’ to provide ‘military and other assistance.’

To some analysts, that sounds like a promise that either nation would intervene if the other comes under attack, renewing a pledge made under a 1961 treaty between North Korea and the Soviet Union.

That deal was discarded after the collapse of the USSR, replaced in 2000 by one that offered weaker security assurances.

The accord between Russia and North Korea has also ignited Western fears about potential aid for Pyongyang’s missile or nuclear programmes.

Analysts argue it represents the strongest ties between the two nations since the end of the Cold War.

Cheong Seong Chang, an analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, said: ‘North Korea and Russia have completely restored their Cold War-era military alliance.’

Other experts were more cautious, saying the section is carefully worded to avoid implying automatic interventions and strictly limits the circumstances in which either country would be obligated to step in.

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