WASHINGTON
Over 1,200 Russian troops are being killed or injured every day in Ukraine, the White House said Monday amid reports that North Korean troops are being dispatched to aid the Kremlin’s war effort.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin is suffering a “truly historic amount of soldiers killed and wounded in this fight” in order to “accomplish a warped and twisted idea of his about Ukraine’s ability to exist as a sovereign state.”
“There’s no question about it that his forces continue to suffer an extraordinary amount of casualties on the battlefield,” Kirby told reporters. “All of this says and proves the point that Mr. Putin is increasingly desperate and increasingly isolated on the world stage.”
South Korea last week claimed that the North has sent 1,500 soldiers to Russia to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine, with the National Intelligence Service of South Korea saying that Pyongyang is planning to send around 10,000 troops in total to Russia.
Pyongyang has yet to deny or confirm Seoul’s claim. The US has also not confirmed claims made by the South, and Kirby continued to maintain Monday that the Biden administration is “looking into” the claims.
Earlier Monday in Kyiv, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the US would be providing Ukraine’s military with an additional $400 million in new assistance.
That includes more 155-millimeter artillery ammunition, 105-millimeter tank ammunition, HIMARS ammunition, additional Javelin anti-tank systems, according to the White House.
