Russia, without confirming the dispatch of troops to North Korea, take a principled stance..."Cooperation and Development with North Korea"

In response to reports of North Korea sending troops to support Russian forces, Moscow declined to give direct answers, saying it is Moscow's sovereign right to develop ties with the North in all areas.

Reuters reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed at a briefing on the 21st local time that "there is a lot of conflicting information" regarding North Korea's dispatch of Russian troops.

Asked whether the North Korean military would participate in the operation, Peskov declined to give a direct answer to the fact-checking, saying, "We should ask the Ministry of Defense about carrying out special military operations."

Regarding relations with North Korea, he also said, "North Korea is developing relations in all fields as Russia's closest neighbor and partner," adding, "This is Russia's sovereign right."

"There is no need to worry because cooperation with North Korea is not aimed at a third country," Peskov said. "We will further develop cooperation with North Korea."

Earlier, the National Intelligence Service announced on the 18th that North Korea has decided to send troops to support Russian forces and 1,500 troops are training in the Russian Far East.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
said on Wednesday that he could not confirm the report, but that he was concerned if it was true.