MEPs reaffirm support for Ukraine as Russia trains North Korean troops

MEPs reaffirmed their strong support for Ukraine on Tuesday, condemning the military cooperation between Russia and North Korea and calling on the bloc to boost its support for Kyiv’s embattled forces. 

The vote came after Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy personally addressed the parliament, saying that “Putin has brought 11,000 North Korean troops to Ukraine’s border” and that “the contingent may grow to 100,000”. 

Many of these troops have been recently deployed as part of Russia’s units in the Kursk region – where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion in August but are now reportedly losing ground. 

A statement issued by the EU parliament’s leaders recently called on the bloc to “step up support for Ukraine in every way, including politically, financially, militarily and with humanitarian aid”. It also reiterated that the parliament “stands with and supports Ukraine in every possible way until its victory”. 

“All EU military assistance missions will hit the target of 75,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained by the end of the winter,” said EU Commissioner for Peace Didier Reynders on Tuesday. “However, we know that the current level of assistance remains insufficient to tilt the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine’s favour.”  

“We need to step up assistance,” he added. 

On the same day as the debate, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance “needs to go further” to support Ukraine and accused Moscow of escalating the fighting by bringing in North Korean troops. 

“In pursuing its illegal war in Ukraine, Russia makes use of North Korean weapons and troops, Iranian drones and Chinese dual use goods for its defence industry,” Rutte said while on a visit to Greece. 

“This is a dangerous expansion of the war and a challenge to global peace and security.”

European countries have been discussing plans to boost defence investments in Ukraine for months, with growing uncertainty surrounding the incoming US administration under president-elect Donald Trump. 

Russia has been hammering civilian areas of Ukraine with increasingly heavy drone, missile and glide bomb attacks since the middle of the year. 

At the same time, Western military analysts say its forces have been pushing forward in the eastern Donetsk region and making significant tactical advances.