Defense chief Lloyd Austin says the U.S. sees evidence that Kim Jong Un has sent troops to bolster Vladimir Putin's army amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III confirmed on Wednesday that North Korea had sent troops to Russia to join the fight against Ukraine, a major shift in Moscow’s effort to win the war. Mr. Austin called the North’s presence a “very serious” escalation that would have ramifications in both Europe and Asia.

A North Korean representative to the United Nations denied reports that Pyongyang had dispatched thousands of troops to aid Russia in its war against Ukraine, calling the claims "groundless."