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North Korean troops have clashed for the first time with Ukrainian forces in Russia's war against Ukraine, as per the New York Times with the report also stating that the troops are occupying a portion of Kursk region in Russia.

The New York Times reported this on Tuesday citing a senior Ukrainian and a senior US official.

This follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirming the first combat engagement between North Korean troops and Ukrainian forces and he said that some 11,000 North Korean soldiers were already in Russia's Kursk region.

South Korea's Defence Ministry also on Tuesday said that some 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed in Russia, with a "considerable" number of them having been dispatched to front-line areas, Yonhap reported.

However, as per the presidential office on Wednesday the North Korean troops in Russia's western front have not yet engaged in full-fledged combat with Ukrainian forces, the South Korean news agency reported.

It cited a senior presidential official shaing the assessment.

In an interview aired by South Korean public broadcaster KBS on Tuesday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that his country's military had engaged for the first time with North Korean troops.

In the NYT report while the Ukrainian official offered no details about casualties, a US official said a significant number of North Korean troops were killed.

The American newspaper reported that according to the Ukrainian official, the North Koreans fought together with a Russian naval infantry brigade.

Zelenskyy in a statement said on Tuesday, "The first battles with North Korean soldiers open a new page of instability in the world."

He called for support for his country's defence, saying the world needs to make the "Russian step to expand the war" a "failure."

A US State Department spokesperson had on Monday said as many as 10,000 North Korean troops were in the Kursk region and could engage in combat in the "coming days."

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has called the North's presence in the war a "very serious" escalation that would have ramifications in Europe and Asia.

Russia and North Korea have stepped up military cooperation since the beginning of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022.

In June, during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang, Moscow and Pyongyang signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, which includes a provision for mutual assistance if either of them comes under attack.

Meanwhile, Japanese state media Kyodo cited a former senior diplomat who defected from Pyongyang last year as saying that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken a "gamble" in sending troops to Russia.

Ri Il Gyu, a former counselor at North Korea's embassy in Cuba, also told Kyodo News that Kim will never abandon his nuclear weapons programme, even though it has caused severe financial hardships in his country, as per the report in the Japanese state media.

The NYT reports that North Korea has one of the world's largest militaries, with 1.2 million soldiers, but it has not fought in a major conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Russia, it said, has relied on North Korea to help replenish dwindling weapons stockpiles.

Further it said The South also released satellite photos showing what it called Russian Navy ship movements near a North Korean port and hundreds of suspected North Korean soldiers assembling in Ussuriysk and Khabarovsk.

ANI

President Ramchandra Paudel has extended his congratulations to Donald Trump following his election as the President of the United States. On Wednesday, President Paudel took to social media platform X to share his well wishes.

"Warm congratulations, President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic win! Wishing you all success for your second term as the President of the USA! I am confident that Nepal-US relations will be further strengthened during your tenure," Poudel wrote in his post.

World leaders raced to congratulate Donald Trump as he claimed a stunning US election victory over Kamala Harris, while financial markets also rose.

Here are the first reactions:

China: ‘Mutual respect’

Without directly mentioning Trump, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a regular briefing that China hopes for ‘peaceful coexistence’ with the United States. “We will continue to approach and handle China-US relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation,” she said. “We respect the choice of the American people.”

Russia: Will judge ‘concrete steps’

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists he was unaware of any plans by Vladimir Putin to congratulate Trump since the US is an ‘unfriendly country’. “We will draw conclusions based on concrete steps and concrete words,” Peskov said.

Israel: ‘Powerful recommitment’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Trump’s likely win signaled a new beginning in US-Israel relations. “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!” said Netanyahu in a statement issued by his office.

Hamas: ‘Blind support’ must end

Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, told AFP that under Trump the United State’s “blind support for the Zionist entity must end because it comes at the expense of the future of our people and the security and stability of the region.”

Ukraine: Hopes ‘just peace’ closer

President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Donald Trump on his ‘impressive victory’ and said he hoped his presidency would bring a ‘just peace in Ukraine closer’. “I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer,” Zelensky said in a statement on social media.

NATO: ‘Peace through strength’

NATO chief Mark Rutte congratulated Trump and said his return to power would help keep the alliance ‘strong’. “His leadership will again be key to keeping our Alliance strong. I look forward to working with him again to advance peace through strength through NATO,” Rutte said in a statement.

EU: ‘Strong transatlantic agenda’

“I warmly congratulate Donald J Trump,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. “The EU and the US are more than just allies. We are bound by a true partnership between our people, uniting 800m citizens. So let’s work together on a strong transatlantic agenda that keeps delivering for them.”

France: ‘Respect and ambition’

French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated ‘President Donald Trump’, saying he was ready to work with him “with respect and ambition” like “we managed to do for four years”. In a post on X, Macron said that the relationship with Trump, who is leading the US presidential vote, would “take account of your convictions, and mine,” adding: “For more peace and prosperity.”

Germany: Will remain ‘reliable ally’

Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulated Trump and vowed Berlin would work with him for “prosperity and freedom.” “Germany and the USA have long been working together successfully to promote prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic. We will continue to do so for the benefit of our citizens.”

Qatar: ‘Security and stability’

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, whose Gulf monarchy is a key mediator in the Gaza conflict and hosts the largest US military base in the Middle East, said he looked forward to “working together again in promoting security and stability both in the region and globally.”

Turkey: ‘My friend’ Trump

Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated “my friend Donald Trump” and wrote on X that “I hope Turkey-US relations will strengthen, that regional and global crises and wars, especially the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, will come to an end.”

Egypt: ‘Reaching peace’

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi congratulated Trump and said he hoped his return to the White House could help bring peace to the Middle East. “I wish him all the success... and I look forward to reaching peace together, upholding regional stability and strengthening the strategic partnership between Egypt and the United States and their friendly peoples,” Sisi said on X.

India: ‘Heartiest congratulations’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Trump’s “election victory.” “Heartiest congratulations my friend @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory,” Modi wrote on social media platform X. “As you build on the successes of your previous term, I look forward to renewing our collaboration.”

South Korea: ‘Alliance to shine brighter’

President Yoon Suk Yeol congratulated Donald Trump and posted on X that “under your strong leadership, the future of the ROK-US alliance and America will shine brighter. Look forward to working closely with you.”

Italy: ‘Sincere congratulations’

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her ‘sincere congratulations’ in a post on X. “Italy and the United States are ‘sister’ nations, linked by an unshakeable alliance,” she said. “It is a strategic bond which I am sure we will now strengthen even more.”

AFP

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the US Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.

With a win in Wisconsin, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency.

The victory validates his bare-knuckle approach to politics. He attacked his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, in deeply personal—often misogynistic and racist—terms as he pushed an apocalyptic picture of a country overrun by violent migrants.

The coarse rhetoric, paired with an image of hypermasculinity, resonated with angry voters—particularly men—in a deeply polarized nation. As president, he’s vowed to pursue an agenda centered on dramatically reshaping the federal government and retribution against his perceived enemies.

“It’s a political victory that our country has never seen before,” Trump told a victory party in Florida.

Vice-president Kamala Harris, who only entered the race in July after President Joe Biden dropped out, ran a centrist campaign that highlighted Trump’s inflammatory messaging and use of openly racist and sexist tropes.

But his apocalyptic warnings about immigration and championing of isolationism found their mark with voters battered by the post-Covid economy and eager for a change from the Biden years.

The campaign pointed to a nail-bitingly close contest, but the results came surprisingly fast, delivering a crushing victory that included wins in the swing states of Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Trump is the first president in more than a century to win a non-consecutive second term.

He is also the only person to be elected as a convicted felon—he will face sentencing in a New York court for fraud on Nov 26.

Already 78, Trump is on course to break another record as the oldest-ever sitting president during his four-year term. He will surpass Biden who is set to step down in January at the age of 82.

The US dollar surged and bitcoin hit a record high while most equity markets advanced, with traders betting on a victory for Trump as the results rolled in.

But turmoil likely lies ahead.

Trump’s victory comes with his promise of radical policy shifts—not just at home but also abroad, where his unrestrained isolationist and nationalist ‘America First’ stance is likely to have enormous consequences.

He has repeatedly suggested he would end the conflict in Ukraine by pressuring Kyiv to make territorial concessions to Russia, and his threat of mass deportations of illegal immigrants has stirred deep concern in Latin America.

He also returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to dismantle his predecessor Biden’s green policies and jeopardize global efforts to curb human-caused warming.

Even before Trump’s stunning victory was fully confirmed, foreign leaders rushed to send congratulations.

AFP