Key facts
- Ukraine transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
- The POWs were captured in Russia's Kursk region.
- President Zelensky criticized North Korea's provision of soldiers and munitions to Russia.
- Turkish President Erdogan urged an end to attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea.
- Ukraine signed a drone cooperation deal with Finland.
- Zelensky warned of AI making battlefield decisions as early as next year.
Ukraine transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, who had been captured in Russia's Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced. Zelensky criticized North Korea for sending soldiers and munitions to support Russia's war effort, estimating between 14,000 and 15,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed.
In a separate development, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Zelenskiy that attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea were inexplicable and that steps must be taken to stop them. Turkey has offered to mediate an end to the attacks and awaits a response from both sides. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Ankara had sent proposals to both Russia and Ukraine regarding Black Sea shipping, but that their positions were difficult to reconcile. A Turkish official noted that around 72 ships had been targeted between January and the first week of September, with 50 having ties to Turkey.
Ukrainian officials indicated readiness to agree to a deal modeled on the 2022-2023 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which designated specific ports for grain and fertilizer exports. However, a Ukrainian official told Middle East Eye that Russia "always asks for more" and makes agreements conditional on unrelated demands, such as Kyiv halting attacks on Russian oil refineries. President Zelensky suggested that if Russia stopped striking Ukrainian infrastructure, Ukraine could reciprocate by halting its long-range strikes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that Ukraine was targeting Russian oil infrastructure while Moscow was striking Ukraine’s electricity grid, making a solution difficult.