U.S. Defense Secretary "Unable to Confirm North Korea's Deployments to Russia"

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he could not confirm reports that North Korea had sent troops to Russia to send them to the war in Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters after the G7 defense ministers' meeting in Naples, Italy, Austin said if the deployment was true, it would be serious and he would continue the confirmation process.

It also added that if true, it shows that Russian President Putin is struggling.

Earlier, the National Intelligence Service announced that North Korea had decided to send 12,000 special forces to the Ukraine war to help Russia, and that 1,500 were already in Vladivostok, Russia.

Shortly after the NIS' announcement, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Mark Rutter also said he could not confirm North Korea's dispatch yet.