BERLIN - The deployment of North Korean troops in Ukraine would be a sign of Russian desperation more than two-and-a-half years into its full-scale invasion of its neighbour, Finland's President Alexander Stubb told Reuters on Oct 22.

       Officials in Ukraine and South Korea have accused North Korea of dispatching troops, estimated to number in the thousands perhaps, to aid Russia in its war in Ukraine.

       South Korea's spy agency said last week that North Korea had shipped 1,500 special forces troops to Russia's Far East for training and acclimatising at military bases and that they were likely to be deployed for combat in Ukraine.

       The Kremlin has declined to directly answer a query on whether North Korean troops were going to fight in Ukraine.

       "We're just seeing how desperate Russia is," Mr Stubb said, during a visit to Berlin.

       "Its allies are not too many around this world.

       "It relies on Iranian weapons, it relies on North Korean soldiers. How much worse can it get?" he said.

       The deployment of North Korean troops would constitute an "escalation" of the conflict, said Mr Stubb.

       Finland, which shares a 1,340km border with Russia, joined Nato in 2023 in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

       Mr Stubb, who will make a state visit to China on Oct 28-31, said he would tell President Xi Jinping there could be no peace deal without Ukraine's involvement.

       He would urge China not to support Russia in any way, "especially not with dual use materials and goods that can be used for weapons." REUTERS