The United States said for the first time on Wednesday that it had seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia's war against its neighbour.

The United States joined Ukraine and South Korea this week to accuse North Korea of dispatching troops, estimated to number in the thousands perhaps, to aid Russia in the war in Ukraine. The vast majority of those troops are still in Russia,