NATO and the European Union are ramping up pressure on China. They want Beijing to persuade North Korea to stop sending troops to Russia in support of its war on Ukraine.

It was revealed last month that 12,000 North Korean troops had been sent to Ukraine to fight on behalf of Russia. Now, they are reported to have been deployed to Kursk as part of the Russian counter-offensive,

Russia's growing economic and military cooperation with China, North Korea and Iran is threatening Europe, the Indo-Pacific and North America, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday.