Defense Secretary Austin confirms North Korea sent troops to help Russia in Ukraine
Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports from Rome on Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit with the pope and how aid to Ukraine benefits the United States on 'America Reports.'
If North Korean troops invade Ukraine, America must "seriously consider" engaging in military action against them, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chair Rep. Mike Turner said in a statement issued Wednesday.
"If North Korean troops were to invade Ukraine's sovereign territory, the United States needs to seriously consider taking direct military action against the North Korean troops," the Ohio Republican asserted.
Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin has said that there is evidence North Korean troops are present in Russia.
NORTH KOREAN TROOPS DEPLOYED TO RUSSIA
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks at the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on Oct. 21, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
"We assess that between early to mid-October, North Korea moved at least 3,000 soldiers into eastern Russia. We assess that these soldiers traveled by ship from the Wonsan area in North Korea to Vladivostok, Russia," White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said.
"These soldiers then traveled onward to multiple Russian military training sites in eastern Russia, where they are currently undergoing training," he continued.
Kirby said that the U.S. does not know whether the North Korean troops will fight alongside Russian forces, but described the prospect as "a highly concerning probability."
SOUTH KOREA DEMANDS WITHDRAWAL OF NORTH KOREAN TROOPS ALLEGEDLY HELPING RUSSIA FIGHT UKRAINE
Rep. Mike Turner, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, R-Ohio, during a press conference of members of the US Congress delegation on July 1, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of assistance as the Eastern European nation has been fighting a war against Russia.
Turner suggested that if North Korean forces target Ukraine from within Russian territory, America should allow Ukraine to utilize U.S. weapons to retaliate.
"I have long challenged the Biden-Harris Administration's unwise position on restricting Ukraine's use of U.S. weapons against targets within Russian territory. If North Korean troops attack Ukraine from Russian territory, Ukraine should be permitted to use American weapons to respond," the lawmaker declared.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM BLASTS JOHN KIRBY OVER NORTH KOREAN SOLDIERS IN RUSSIA: ‘THEY’RE NOT TOURISTS'
Committee chairman Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) speaks to reporters after meeting with former Justice Department Special Counsel John Durham in a closed door hearing with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence at the U.S. Capitol Building on June 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois declared in a tweet, "For those who think the war in Ukraine is unimportant, consider who Putin is partnering with. The presence of North Korean troops in Russia clearly indicates that Putin is not interested in ending this conflict—he is determined to escalate it at any cost."
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
