Putin says willing to talk to Trump, Zelensky confirms deadly clashes with North Korean troops

North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia Kursk region Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that they were fighting Kiev forces on the battlefield, adding that the clashes resulted in deaths.

Zelensky said 11,000 North Korean soldiers Ukraine’s quarterly military attack Entry into Russian territory was stopped.

“There are currently 11 thousand North Korean soldiers or soldiers of the North Korean army in the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region, on the border with Ukraine, in the north of our country,” Zelensky told reporters at the European Political Community summit. Budapest, Hungary on Thursday.

“Some of these troops have already taken part in clashes against the Ukrainian army. Yes, there are already losses, this is a fact.”

He did not specify which side suffered losses.

The New York Times reported Earlier this week, a number of North Korean soldiers were reportedly killed in a limited conflict with Russian and Ukrainian forces, citing senior US and Ukrainian officials.

The announcement that they will be used in combat comes as the United States and its allies weigh how to respond to the growing military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Ukraine and its NATO allies are also gauging how US President-elect Donald Trump’s re-election will be like will affect they maintain the balance of war and prepare for an eventuality dramatic decrease Two and a half years after the invasion of Moscow, it is supported by the USA.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first public comments about the U.S. election, saying he was ready for dialogue with the Republican president-elect and saying Trump’s comments about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine “deserve at least some attention.”

While speaking at a discussion forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, the Russian leader said “We are ready” when asked if he would meet with Trump.

Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory and praised his “brave” behavior after the assassination attempt in July.

Trump has in question He suggested that he would end the war “within 24 hours” and that Ukraine should “give up a little” to Moscow.

Trump and his running mate during the election campaign J.D. Vance He raised strong doubts about the continued US commitment to Kiev and made comments suggesting the US could pressure Ukraine into an uneasy ceasefire with Russia.

Zelensky has repeatedly rejected suggestions for concessions to Russia.

Trump did not elaborate on how quickly he would end the war, but former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty said it would “essentially freeze everything in place.”

According to Dougherty, an assistant professor at Georgetown, “This means that the Russians will keep the Ukrainian territory that they have, that they have gained, and then they will somehow end up with territorial concessions.” The University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian and Eastern European Studies.

Russia is increasing its attacks in Ukraine

Trump’s election to a second term came at a volatile moment in the war. Ukraine is under severe pressure front linesThe chief of staff warned that his forces were facing “one of the strongest Russian attacks” since the start of the war.

Moscow also launches long-range drone strikes in almost constant waves. Ukrainian By firing decoy drones without warheads at cities to defeat Ukraine’s air defenses. based on To the spokesman of the Ukrainian air force.

Zelensky said on Monday that Moscow had increased its attacks tenfold using Iranian-made Shahid drones since last fall, and that there had been only one night without a drone attack in the capital since September 1.

Ukraine’s president said in Budapest on Thursday that world leaders had not sufficiently listened to Kiev’s call to be allowed to use long-range weapons because it faced a “new wave of tensions” involving the military of another state in the war against Ukraine. ”

According to the United States, South Korea and Ukraine, Putin reinforced his army’s manpower with North Korean forces to counter Ukraine’s surprise Kursk offensive – Russia’s first ground attack by a foreign power since World War II.

US officials had warned that there were approximately 10,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region and that they were expected to go to war against Ukraine. But Zelensky fears North Korean troops will take on a larger role unless their allies put more pressure on Putin.

“We believe that if we do not use appropriate weapons and put political pressure on the Russian Federation, the next step could be much greater use of North Korean troops,” he said.

CNN’s Catherine Nicholls, Sebastian Shukla, Lauren Kent, Daria Tarasova-Markina and Christian Edwards contributed reporting

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at: CNN.com