Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized nations strongly condemned North Korea’s deployment of troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, as some 10,000 DPRK soldiers reportedly fight on battlefields in Kursk.

Following a meeting in Italy, the G7 foreign ministers warned in a joint statement that North Korea’s involvement in the war in Ukraine represents a “dangerous expansion” of the conflict that could have “serious consequences for security” in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.

The statement also expressed concern about potential transfers of nuclear or missile technology to North Korea and urged countries with ties