Trump's special envoy 'January Europe fact-finding investigation' US Department of Defense 'North Korean casualties indication', Media manipulation
Trump's special envoy announced the 'January European visit fact-finding investigation', the US Department of Defense first announced it as 'North Korean military ideological signs', and the Ukraine non-profit center commented that it was 'for provoking Western reactions', showing media manipulation related to the '5.6 billion dollar usage strategy' between the Trump camp and the Biden administration.
The US Department of Defense announced 'North Korean casualties indication' in the first Russian-occupied Ukrainian area on the 16th, and the special envoy's 'January Europe visit fact-finding investigation' on President-elect Trump's pledge to 'end the war within 24 hours of taking office' was released on the 17th.
Two sources familiar with the trip plan told Reuters on the 17th that President-elect Trump's next special envoy to Ukraine will visit the Ukrainian capital of Kiev and several other European capitals in early January to ensure that the next administration quickly ends the Russia-Ukraine war.
Former Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s top envoy for Ukraine and Russia, has no plans to visit Moscow during his trip, sources told Reuters, requesting anonymity.
Kellogg will meet with senior Ukrainian leaders in Kiev, and his team is “working” to meet with leaders in other European capitals, including Rome and Paris, the sources told Reuters.
The envoy’s talks in Europe will likely focus on “fact-finding” on behalf of the incoming Trump administration, rather than active negotiations, the sources said.
One source specifically warned that the trip was still being finalized and the schedule could change, Reuters reported.
“Trump has promised to end the war within 24 hours of taking office,” Reuters reported, adding that “former intelligence and national security officials have expressed doubts that such a feat can be achieved, given that Russian President Vladimir Putin has little incentive to come to the negotiating table, at least on terms acceptable to Kiev.”
The New York Times reported on the 17th that Trump's transition spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said in a briefing that "President Trump has repeatedly stated that his top priority in his second term is to quickly negotiate a peaceful resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian war."
Air Force Major General Pat Ryder, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters on the 16th that "we assess that North Korean troops fought in Kursk," adding that "we have 'indications' that they killed and wounded."
The New York Times reported that "General Ryder made this assessment a day after Ukrainian military intelligence said that at least 30 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded in the Russian towns of Plekhovo, Borozva, and Martynovka on the Kursk front line over the weekend," and that "General Ryder's claims cannot be independently verified."
Regarding the Pentagon briefing, the New York Times reported that “Monday’s statement was the first official confirmation from the Pentagon that North Korean troops were fighting in Kursk,” and that “North Korean troop deployments have so far been limited to Russian territory.” Oleksiy Melnyk, a military analyst and former commander of the Ukrainian Army (now a senior official at the Razumkov Center, a nonprofit organization in Ukraine), said, “Although the number of troops is relatively small, if Russia provides advanced technology to help North Korea, it could have a big impact,” adding, “This move is designed to provoke the West, and it is just testing the ground.” "What will the West's response be?" he told the New York Times.
Trump said at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on the 16th that "negotiations have to be made" and that he would "talk to Putin and Zelensky about ending the war," Reuters reported on the same day.
Two Washington officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to provide a U.S. assessment of the war, told the Associated Press on the 17th that "hundreds of North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine have been killed or wounded in the Kursk border area."
The officials did not give specific details on how many were killed, but said the number of casualties appeared to be rising because the North Korean troops did not appear to be battle-hardened, and they provided a "first significant estimate" of North Korean casualties, the AP reported. "This comes weeks after Ukraine said North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to aid Russia in the nearly three-year war."
“It was reported as a result of the Biden administration’s push to send as much military aid as possible to Ukraine before President-elect Trump takes office,” the AP reported. “But a senior Pentagon official told reporters on Monday that the Pentagon may not be able to send the entire $5.6 billion in weapons and equipment inventory to Ukraine before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.”
Two unnamed officials explained to the AP the complex math surrounding the $5.6 billion in weapons “support inventory.”
“The administration expects to release all of that money by the end of the year,” one official said. “The $5.6 billion is under Presidential Drawdown Authority, or PDA, which allows the Pentagon to quickly get weapons ready for deployment to Ukraine.”
“That’s a significant amount of money, and while the United States will continue to provide weapons to Ukraine until Jan. 20, there could be money left over for the incoming Trump administration to use,” the official told the AP.
“President-elect Trump is There has been talk of some kind of negotiated settlement between Ukraine and Russia, and there is some uneasiness about whether Ukraine will be given all of the weapons funding that Congress has authorized,” he said.
The New York Times reported that regarding the Pentagon’s “announcement on the 16th of North Korea’s involvement in the war,” “Ukrainian President Zelensky said on the 14th that Russia had begun using a significant number of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk attack,” and “He also said that Ukraine has ‘information suggesting that their use could extend to other parts of the front. ’”
In a briefing on the 16th, John Kirby, the White House National Security Advisor, said, “Over the past few days, we have seen North Korean troops move from the second line of the battlefield to the front lines and actively participate in combat operations.” He added, “I don’t know the specific casualty figures. I believe they have suffered significant losses, including dead and wounded. It is certainly in the tens.”
Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 17th that Ukrainian President Zelensky claimed that Russia continues to attempt to hide the presence of North Korean troops involved in the battle, including by burning the faces of North Korean soldiers killed in action.
Yonhap News reported on the 17th under the title, “US Official: Hundreds of North Korean Soldiers Killed in Battle with Ukrainian Forces” (Reuters).
Chosun Ilbo reported on the 17th under the title, “US: Dozens of North Korean Soldiers Casualties… If They Cross the Ukrainian Border, It’s North Korea’s War of Aggression.”
SBS reported on the 18th under the title, “A Wild Plain Difficult to Cover Up… North Korean Soldiers Die in En masse from ‘Unfamiliar’ Weapons.”
The Reuters article on the 17th titled “North Korean troops killed for the first time in fighting with Ukraine, Pentagon says” is based on a briefing by Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder on the 16th, stating that “North Korean troops first engaged in combat with Russian troops in Kursk, and Washington has indications that North Korean troops were killed and wounded,” and that the Pentagon said on Monday (16th).
“We assess that North Korean troops fought in Kursk. We have indications that they were killed and wounded. We do not have details on the number of North Korean casualties. North Korean troops were involved in combat last week,” Reuters reported in the briefing.
Reuters added after the article, “Ukraine said on the 16th that North Korean troops fighting for Russia had at least 30 soldiers killed or wounded around several villages on the front line in the Kursk region of Russia over the weekend.” The content reported by foreign media on the 16th is based on a press release from the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR).
Regarding this intelligence service announcement, Reuters stated, “The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service’s statement on the 16th came after President Zelensky said on the 13th that Russia was using North Korean troops on a large scale for the first time to carry out an attack in Kursk, a Russian region where Ukraine began its invasion across the border in August.” Reuters acknowledged that the Ukrainian authorities’ previous announcement of “North Korean troops participating in the war” was an exaggeration and a falsehood, and that the intelligence service’s fact of “30 North Korean casualties” in the revised information that “North Korean troops carried out an attack in Kursk, a Russian region, for the first time on the 13th” was a “unilateral announcement.”
The U.S. Department of Defense judged this to be “unconfirmed” and announced it as a “sign.” Regarding the statement of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service (HUR) on the 16th, Reuters reported, “The HUR statement is the first time Kiev has claimed North Korean losses on this scale,” and “the casualties were reported around the villages of Plekhovo, Vorozhba, and Martynovka in the Kursk region. No evidence was provided. It was impossible to independently verify the figures.”
Reuters reported on the 17th that <Ukrainian news agencies said, “Due to the losses, the assault brigade is being replenished with new personnel, especially from the 94th Brigade of the North Korean army, and continues active combat operations in the Kursk region.”