The United States on Monday called out Russia and China at the United Nations Security Council for "shamelessly protecting" and emboldening North Korea to further violate U.N. sanctions as Pyongyang pledged to accelerate building up its "nuclear force.

As thousands of North Korean troops deploy to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, China is left particularly uncomfortable by the swift militarization of ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.

The thousands of North Korean troops US intelligence say arrived in Russia for training this month have sparked concern they will be deployed to bolster Moscow’s battlefront in Ukraine.

Trump, who has spoken of his good relations with President Vladimir Putin, has repeatedly said—without elaborating—that he could bring a swift end to the almost three-year conflict.

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