The U.S. says there will be a "firm response" as Ukrainian forces holding ground in Russia's Kursk region now face North Korean troops "engaging in combat."

North Korean soldiers have engaged in combat operations against Ukraine alongside their Russian allies, South Korea's spy agency said on Wednesday. Seoul's confirmation comes amid growing global criticism as the two countries strengthen military ties,

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, authorities reported, as the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow’s war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine’s army off Russian soil in the Kursk border region.

Russia's Deputy head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev takes part in a wreath laying ceremony marking Defender of the Fatherland Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin Wall in Moscow,

Trump has chosen Pete Hegseth as his defense secretary. On a podcast last week, Hegseth said he didn't want US intervention forcing Putin's hand.

Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election has been widely considered a potential disaster for Ukraine and its war efforts against Russia. Trump's scepticism about Nato and his apparent admiration for Vladimir Putin raised questions over whether he would maintain the level of support Joe Biden has so far given Kyiv,