Ukraine-Russia war latest: North Korea troops could ‘all be dead or wounded by April’

Russia does not expect the US to soften sanctions on Russian oil when president-elect Donald Trump takes office, the Kremlin has said.

It comes after Mr Trump’s choice for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said he “100 per cent” supports raising sanctions on Russian oil producers if the incoming president asked him to.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says Russia does not expect the US to fundamentally change its stance.

The entire group of North Koreans fighting in Rusia’s Kursk region could be killed or wounded by mid-April, a leading war analyst has said.

If Kim Jong-un’s forces “continue to suffer from their current high loss rate” then their entire 12,000 contingent may be out of action, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.

In early January, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said 3,800 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded in Kursk.

The IfW says North Korean troops likely suffered around 92 casualties per day since significant fighting began in December.

“North Korean forces will likely continue to suffer a larger ratio of wounded to killed in action – as is typical for armed conflict – and it is unclear if or when injured North Korean soldiers return to combat,” the ISW said.

The Kremlin has said it will study Ukraine’s new 100-year agreement with the United Kingdom, describing the prospect of British military bases in Ukraine as “worrying”.

British prime minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky signed the accord on Thursday, which promises to strengthen the two countries’ security cooperation.

Sir Keir is also considering sending British troops to Ukraine in a peacekeeper role – although this does not appear to have been part of the 100-year deal.

The Kremlin views negatively the prospect of British cooperation with Ukraine in the Sea of Azov – which spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described as Russia’s “internal sea”.

Ukraine’s air defences downed 33 out of 50 Russian drones launched overnight, the air force said on Friday.

Nine drones were “lost”, it said, referring to Ukraine’s use of electronic warfare to redirect Russian drones. Another left Ukraine in the direction of Romania.

The military said on Telegram: “Hostile attack drones hit enterprises in Odesa region, and buildings of institutions, private businesses and households in Kharkiv, Cherkasy and Kyiv regions were damaged as a result of the fall of downed enemy drones.”

Port infrastructure in the Danube region came under attack, they added. An official in Kyic said a child was wounded due to falling debris from downed targets during an attack.

The UK and Poland will start work on a new defence and security agreement today, when Sir Keir Starmer travels to the eastern European country for talks.

The prime minister has said that it is “time to take our partnership to the next level” with Warsaw and that “closer collaboration” with allies such as Poland will “protect the UK’s national security”.

He is expected to discuss the new UK-Poland treaty with his counterpart Donald Tusk, which will support both countries working together to protect Europe from Russian aggression and work together to tackle people smuggling gangs.

The agreement will also do more to tackle disinformation and hybrid threats, Number 10 said.

Sir Keir Starmer is considering plans to send British troops into Ukraine to act as peacekeepers in the event of a ceasefire with Russia.

The Ukraine president said the two men had discussed a French-backed proposal for Western peacekeepers to monitor a future ceasefire, but said it’s “a bit too early to talk about details”.

Sir Keir did not commit to peacekeepers but, directing his words at Mr Zelensky, he said that “we will work with you and all of our allies on steps that would be robust enough to guarantee Ukraine’s security” and deter future aggression.

Romania’s airspace was breached during an overnight Russian drone attack on neighbouring Ukraine, its defence ministry said this morning.

The likely impact zone of a drone was found near the border in the southeastern county of Tulcea, Romanian officials said.

Nato member Romania scrambled two fighter jets to monitor the attack from the air. Drone fragments and air space breaches have occurred regularly over the past year and a half as Russia has attacked Ukraine’s Danube river port infrastructure.

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Britain has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, with prime minister Keir Starmer’s predecessors visiting Kyiv in the early days of their tenure.

As the war against Russia approaches its three-year mark, Ukraine is on the backfoot on the frontlines. Ukrainian forces are suffering from manpower shortages and losing ground in the eastern Donetsk region as Russia’s troops continue their advance.

It took a little longer for Sir Keir to make the trip, but he comes armed with a 100-year partnership with Kyiv to deepen security and cultural ties.

The treaty and political declaration aims to boost military cooperation to strengthen security in the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov and deter Russian aggression.

The treaty will also cover areas such as energy, critical minerals and green steel production, the prime minister’s office said.

“Putin’s ambition to wrench Ukraine away from its closest partners has been a monumental strategic failure,” Sir Keir said in a statement. “Instead, we are closer than ever, and this partnership will take that friendship to the next level.”

Britain has provided £12.8bn in support to Ukraine since in 2022, a sum dwarfed by Washington’s $63.5bn in security assistance, underscoring the importance of Donald Trump’s actions over Ukraine.

The partnership announced yesterday, which provides £40m for Ukraine’s economic recovery, includes additional support around grain verification and trade with Ukraine’s thriving technology sector that has produced battle-ready equipment.