27 EU countries "condemn participation in North Ukraine war...an act of international escalation"

Leaders of the European Union and 27 EU countries strongly condemned North Korea, saying that sending troops to the war in Ukraine is an act of international escalation.

In a joint statement adopted at a summit in Brussels, Belgium, on the 19th local time, the EU said, "We strongly condemn a third country helping Russia to invade Ukraine."

"It is an international escalation for North Korea to deploy troops to Russia and put them on the front line, along with the arms trade and deepening military cooperation between Russia, North Korea and Iran," it said in the statement.

"We urge all countries to stop providing direct and indirect support to Russia," he said.

In the 15th sanctions adopted on Russia on the 16th, three days before the summit, the EU included two high-ranking North Korean officials, including Kim Young-bok, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and Noh Kwang-chul, minister of defense.

The European Commission, which is equivalent to the EU administration, has also confirmed a plan to provide 18.1 billion euros in loans to Ukraine and 27 trillion won in our money as collateral for proceeds from Russian assets frozen in the region.