Putin Praises North Korean Troops as U.S. Pressures Peace Deal
- Simon Zernicki-Glover
- Apr 28
- 2 min read
Putin has confirmed what many had long suspected: North Korea is fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. Putin spoke highly of the Korean soldiers: he praised them for helping "liberate" the Kursk region. Kim Jong Un ordered a monument to be built to honour the fallen North Korean soldiers in Pyongyang. According to Ukrainian officials and Reuters, North Korea has provided 14,000 troops to aid Russia in the war. North Korea’s involvement could signal a deeper alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang, one that may not only reshape the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Putin has ordered a new ceasefire for May 8–10; however, it's hard to imagine that Russia will fulfil this ceasefire after having broken the Easter truce, continuing to put the lives of Ukranians at stake.
Beyond the battlefield, Putin's acknowledgement of North Korea’s role seems carefully timed. As pressure builds up on a global scale for a negotiated peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Russia is telling the world that it now has powerful new support and is willing to escalate if needed. Vice President JD Vance made Washington's position clear, saying, "We've issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process." His comments reflect a growing impatience of the Trump administration. And after meeting with Zelenskyy, prior to the Pope's funeral, Trump spoke about Zelenskyy wanting to reach a peace deal and ciritized Putin on this comment on his exremist platform, Truth Social, stating, "With all of that being said, there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!"
As the situation shifts, Ukraine faces more challenges. With peace negotiations hanging in the balance, Kyiv must fight to hold its ground before critical decisions are made that could shape the future of Eastern Europe.
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