WASHINGTON (AP) — Deploying up to 12,000 North Korean troops in Russia has become a key topic as US and South Korean leaders meet in Washington this week, fueling concerns about the presence those soldiers will further destabilize the Asia-Pacific and expand Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

As some of those troops moved closer to Ukraine this week from training sites in eastern Russia, the main questions revolved around what new military technology North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for the deployment, and whether this could prompt other nations to send their own forces. to fight in the war.

Talks now move to the State Department, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold talks Thursday with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

Meanwhile, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Thursday for the first time in nearly a year, demonstrating a potential advance in its ability to launch long-range nuclear strikes on the continental US. Some experts have speculated that Russia may have provided technological assistance to North Korea during the launch.

At a Pentagon news conference on Wednesday, Austin said North Korean troops wearing Russian uniforms and carrying Russian equipment were advancing into Ukraine, in what he called a dangerous and destabilizing development. Speaking alongside Kim, Austin said officials were discussing what to do about the North Korean deployment, which he acknowledged could “encourage others to take action.” He did not provide details.

United States of America. and South Korea say some of the North Korean troops are moving toward Russia’s Kursk region on the border with Ukraine, where Kremlin forces have struggled to repel a Ukrainian incursion. Some North Korean advance units have arrived there, and Austin said “the likelihood is quite high” that Russia will use them in combat.

North Korea’s move to tighten the relationship with Russia has set off alarms around the globe as leaders worry about how the war could expand and what Russian military aid will be offered in return.

Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday that up to 4,500 North Korean troops are expected to be at the border this week and begin directly participating in operations of fighting against Ukrainian forces. in November.

Kim said he did not necessarily believe the deployment would spark war on the Korean Peninsula, but it could increases security threats.

There is a “high possibility” that North Korea will demand advanced technology from Russia in exchange for its troops, such as receiving tactical nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, he said through an interpreter.

Russia had to shift some resources to the Kursk border region to respond Offensive of Ukraine.

“They’re doing this because (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has lost a lot of troops,” Austin said, adding that Moscow has a choice between mobilizing more of its own forces or turning to others for help.

The US estimates that there are about 10,000 North Korean soldiers now in Russia. Seoul and its allies estimate the number sent to Russia has risen to 11,000, according to a senior South Korean presidential official, who spoke on condition of anonymity during a background briefing. Ukraine put the figure higher, up to 12,000.

A Ukrainian official told The Associated Press that North Korean troops are stationed 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Ukraine’s border with Russia. The official, who was not authorized to disclose the information publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide any additional details.

North Korea has also supplied ammunition to Russia, and earlier this month the White House released images it said were of North Korean shipments. 1,000 containers of military equipment there on the railway.

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Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Illia Novikov in Kiev, Ukraine and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.