Russian officials confirmed for the first time publicly that North Korean soldiers have been fighting alongside them in the war in Ukraine, as U.S. President Donald Trump shows his patience is running thin with Russia on peace talks in Ukraine.

Russia announced the liberation of the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces, with North Korean troops playing a significant role. Ukraine disputes this claim, stating that fighting is still ongoing.

The French foreign ministry helped to evacuate 115 people from Gaza this week and those people have now arrived in France, said the ministry on Friday, adding that France remained opposed to the forced displacement of people from Gaza.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile in deadly Kyiv attack that killed 12 and wounded dozens.

Russia’s growing technological assistance has the potential to bolster North Korea’s development of ICBMs and SLBMs, nuclear-powered submarines, and low yield nuclear weapons.