NATO, EU press China to help stop North Korea's support for war on Ukraine

NATO and the European Union are intensifying efforts to persuade China to help curb North Korea’s military support for Russia in its war against Ukraine. According to US, South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk border region to assist in repelling Ukrainian forces. In exchange, NATO claims that Russia is providing missile technology to North Korea.

As Russia continues to exploit its military advantage in Ukraine, the United States is urging its allies to increase political pressure on China to rein in North Korea. Pyongyang and Beijing have maintained diplomatic ties since 1949, and their relationship is often described as "as close as lips and teeth."

One potential lever of influence is the threat of increased Western involvement in China’s neighboring Asia-Pacific region. Last week, the EU strengthened its position by securing new security pacts with regional powers Japan and South Korea.

In an opinion piece for Politico last week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated, "China bears particular responsibility here, to use its influence in Pyongyang and Moscow to ensure they cease these actions. Beijing cannot pretend to promote peace while turning a blind eye to increasing aggression." On a visit to Latvia on Thursday, Stoltenberg warned that the exchange of missile technology poses "a direct threat, not only to Europe, but also to Japan, South Korea, and the US mainland." Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand now regularly attend NATO meetings.

After talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, Stoltenberg added, "The Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific really have to be seen as one theatre, and not as two separate ones. Our security, therefore, now more and more is global, and we have to look at this as a global issue."

While North Korea and Russia have grown closer in their cooperation, many observers note that China remains hesitant to form a three-way anti-Western alliance with them. Beijing prefers a stable security environment to address its economic challenges and maintain relationships with both Europe and its Asian neighbors.

In a blog published on Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell discussed his recent trip to Japan and South Korea, where North Korea’s troop deployments and assistance to Russia were key topics. "This marks an escalation of the utmost seriousness, which was at the heart of our discussions with the Japanese and South Korean leaders," Borrell wrote. He also emphasized that the EU’s new security and defense partnerships with Japan and South Korea—its first such agreements outside Europe—signal the EU’s growing role as a global security provider.

Blinken also reaffirmed this week that the Biden administration is determined to provide Ukraine with the aid necessary to continue defending itself against Russia’s invasion in the coming year. "We are committed to sending as much assistance as possible to help hold Russian forces at bay and to strengthen Ukraine's hand in any potential peace negotiations," Blinken said.