US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today in Seoul that Russia plans to expand technological cooperation with North Korea in exchange for sending forces to help Moscow fight against Ukraine.
"North Korea is already benefiting from Russian military equipment and training. Today we have reason to believe that Moscow intends to share advanced space and satellite technologies with Pyongyang," Blinken said on a farewell visit to South Korea.
Blinken said that the position of the Ukrainian army in Russia's Kursk region, where it has been leading an offensive since last summer, will be "important" in the context of possible peace talks between Kiev and Moscow.
"Their (Ukraine's) position in Kursk is important because it is certainly a factor in any negotiations that may take place this year," Blinken said at a press conference in Seoul, the first stop on a farewell tour that will also take him to Japan and France.
Blinken expressed his belief that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could be reached before January 20, or a few days later, when Republican Donald Trump takes over the post of US president from Joseph Biden.
"If we don't reach the goal in the next two weeks, I am confident that it can be completed at some point, and when it is, it will be based on the plan that President Biden has proposed," the US secretary of state said.
Blinken condemned North Korea's missile launch into the Sea of Japan, which occurred this morning, while visiting Seoul.
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