Lithuanian leader urges more NATO aid to Ukraine as North Korean troops train in Russia

  • 2024-10-29
  • BNS/TBT Staff

VILNIUS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has called on NATO to allow Ukraine to target military sites in Russia and provide Kyiv with long-range missiles in response to the presence of North Korean troops in Russia. 

"North Korean troops are helping Russia in its war on Ukraine. NATO must respond by giving all it needs to win: long-range missiles, permission to strike military targets in Russia, increased military aid," Nauseda posted on the X social media platform on Monday evening. 

"Hesitation leads to escalation, not the other way around," he added. 

Last week, Nauseda said that he would refrain from commenting on the reports of North Korean troops in Russia until he had "clearer and more solid" information.

After initial reports surfaced about thousands of North Korean troops training on Russian territory, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis urged the West to revisit the issue of sending troops to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, called for action, not just a return to the debate on sending Western troops to Ukraine.

NATO confirmed on Monday that North Korean troops had been sent to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.

According to the Alliance, some of these troops have already been deployed in the Kursk border region, where Russia has been struggling to contain a Ukrainian incursion.

The Pentagon estimates that some 10,000 North Korean troops are training in Russia.

Experts say that in exchange for these troops, North Korea is likely seeking military technologies – from surveillance satellites to submarines – and possible security guarantees from Moscow.