Since its beginning in February 2022, the Ukraine conflict has undergone a range of twists and turns, including the deployment of North Korean military forces into Russian combat operations. This represents an unanticipated—though logical in hindsight—evolution in the increasingly collaborative support network for Russia's military campaign, encompassing China, Iran, North Korea, and Belarus. The presence of North Korean military personnel on Russian soil marks the first instance where East Asian forces have become direct participants in European hostilities.

In spite of the seemingly unprecedented nature of this development, North Korea’s entanglement in the war in Ukraine is in fact yet another demonstration of just how intertwined Europe and Asia are to the few that still consider them as separate and distinct security theatres. This includes the US administration and its prioritisation of China as its focus for strategic competition. Trump’s goal of peace at almost any cost and the seeming disdain of his administration for Washington’s traditional European allies has urged the latter to set out their “principles” for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia including the now well-worn lines that “there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine” and, rather forlornly, that “there can be no negotiations that affect European security without Europe’s involvement.” For the avoidance of any doubt regarding their position, the EU leaders have stressed that “Ukraine’s, Europe’s, transatlantic and global security are intertwined.” In light of Trump’s efforts at accelerating a resolution to the crisis through direct talks with Putin, questions abound regarding how developments in the Indo-Pacific could be impacted by the kind of deal to conclude the war in Ukraine could be cut.