The head of Russia’s Security Council Sergei Shoigu said Thursday the West faces a “choice” of either entering talks with Moscow on Ukraine or continuing the “destruction” of its population.
“Now when the situation in the theatre of combat is not in Kyiv’s favour, the West is faced with a choice: to continue financing (Kyiv) and the destruction of the Ukrainian population or recognise the current realities and start negotiating,” Shoigu, Moscow’s ex-defence minister, said at a meeting of a military alliance of ex-Soviet states.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Thursday he aimed to work jointly with returning US leader Donald Trump in confronting the “dangerous new developments” linked to North Korea’s entry into the Russian war on Ukraine.
“What we see more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China, and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine,” Rutte told reporters at a European leaders’ meeting in Budapest.
“This is more and more a threat, not only to the European part of NATO, but also to the United States -- because Russia is delivering the latest technology into North Korea,” he warned.
“I look forward to sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively,” Rutte said.
North Korea has become one of the strongest backers of Russia’s full-scale offensive in Ukraine, and the West has long accused Pyongyang of supplying artillery shells and missiles to Moscow.
Based on intelligence reports, Western powers now believe Pyongyang has deployed around 10,000 troops to Russia, suggesting deeper involvement in the conflict.
Iran meanwhile stands accused of supplying Russia with missiles and drones, while China is suspected of helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions on technologies for use in the war against Ukraine.
