Finland’s president calls North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia an escalation

BEIJING (AP) — Finland’s president said North Korea’s dispatch of troops to Russia represents an escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war that goes against China’s own stated position on the conflict, following talks Tuesday with the Chinese president.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb made his comments after meeting for more than three hours with China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing in a visit to discuss the war as well as trade and other issues. Chinese officials did not comment on specifics, but Chinese state media said the two sides had an in-depth exchange.

“North Korean activity right now, both in terms of arms exports and especially in terms of sending troops to Russia is escalation, expansion and provocation,” Stubb said.

The U.S. government on Monday said that North Korea has sent 10,000 troops to Russia where they are believed to be headed for the Kursk border region where Ukrainian troops have seized Russian territory.

Stubb said that deployment defies China’s position that there should be “no escalation, no expansion and no provocation” on the battlefield. China and Brazil issued a joint peace plan earlier this year that calls for no expansion of the battlefield.

The Finnish leader also said that China should continue its efforts in pushing for peace in Ukraine, and that the starting point should be Ukraine’s peace plan. He also expressed concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin could deploy nuclear weapons in the course of war.

“It’s extremely important that a major power such as China keeps on having dialogue with Russia and make sure that we can de-escalate as much as possible,” Stubb said.

Xi, for his part, expressed China’s “willingness to work with all parties concerned, including Finland, to