THE EU IS “deeply alarmed” over reports that North Korean soldiers are being sent to Russia.

European foreign affairs commissioner Josep Borrell said the bloc will be coordinating with its leaders and partners on the matter and has not ruled out potential responses, such as sanctions.

South Korea this month has been raising the alarm over intel it obtained, and later passed onto Kyiv, that soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) were fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.

Ukrainian military intelligence officials believe the troops have already entered combat zones. Today they said recorded sightings had taken place in the Russian Kursk region, which was previously taken over by Ukraine in its offensive against the invasion.

It is already widely believed that the DPRK is arming Moscow in some way. Troops on the group would make a new escalation in the conflict, however. 

A mutual defence pact between both countries was signed by leaders Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in a move that made western leaders anxious over a potential escalation. Today that pact was unanimously ratified by the Russian parliament.

The treaty will be fully ratified by the upper house of government on 6 November. 

Putin today did not deny the reports and mocked images which appear to show North Korean troops on Russian soil.

“Images are a serious thing. If there are images they must show something,” he said.

Speaking in Brussels, Borrell said: “Russia’s deepening military cooperation with the DPRK sends a clear message: despite its stated readiness to negotiate, Russia is not sincerely interested in a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.”

The US and Nato yesterday both said it had confirmation that North Korean soldiers have arrived to Russia and warned of consequences if troops joined the war.

In an interview with the BBC yesterday, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko - who is not recognised as the official president internationally and is one of Russia’s last-remaining allies – said the claims were “rubbish”.

He claimed that any foreign military or country assisting with Russia’s war in Ukraine would be a breach of international law, despite his country previously providing training areas for Russian-contracted soldiers.