China, Rutte said, “has a particular responsibility” to use its influence with Moscow and Pyongyang to de-escalate the conflict, while chiding Beijing for its efforts to “prop up” the Russian economy and provide access to technology used in its war. against Russia. Ukraine.

Rutte’s comments come after Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed on Tuesday that Ukrainian and North Korean forces had fought for the first time since Pyongyang sent troops to Russia, and “small-scale” clashes broke out in Kursk on Monday.

The NATO leader also called on Indo-Pacific partners to “step up” their support and urged Western allies to engage in more consultations, intelligence sharing and practical and political cooperation with those countries, including on nuclear production. defense. Last month, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he was considering providing military aid to Kyiv to counter the North Korean deployment.

“This dangerous expansion of the conflict intensifies the war and shows that our security is not regional, it is global,” Rutte said, echoing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated calls for greater support from Western allies.