North Korea's top diplomat holds talks in Moscow as Pyongyang sent troops to help the war on Ukraine

Russia's top diplomat on Friday met his North Korean counterpart for talks amid reports that Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its military in the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui's visit to Moscow and her meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came on the heels of the Pentagon's statement that North Korea has deployed about 10,000 troops to Russia to fight against Ukraine.

The Biden administration said Thursday that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia's Kursk region near Ukraine’s border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days.

Western leaders have described the North Korean troop deployment as a significant escalation that could also jolt relations in the Indo-Pacific region.