TRUMP APPEASES KIM | As North Korea Wages War in Europe

Donald Trump says he has a “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un, but the problem is that Kim is no longer simply threatening America’s allies in Asia. His troops, missile crews and ballistic weapons are now becoming increasingly embedded in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Frankly, in my view, Kim Jong Un’s meaningful relationship today is with Vladimir Putin, not Donald Trump. So there are moments in politics when timing tells you almost everything you need to know.

Only just last week, people were again asking whether Donald Trump had finally changed his position on Ukraine, whether the reality of Putin’s war, Russia’s continued attacks, and North Korea’s increasingly direct involvement might finally have shifted the calculation.

A week later, we appear to have our answer.

Trump needs friends, and the emasculated, weak-as-shit persona the US electorate voted for appears to have found himself a proxy in Moscow.

Or perhaps we’ve got it backwards.

Perhaps we should ask whether the United States is becoming one?

Share

Trump is once again reminiscing about his past meetings with Kim Jong Un, boasting about their “very good relationship,” while ordering the Pentagon to substantially reduce military exercises with South Korea, a longstanding US treaty ally.

But the uncomfortable reality is that the relationship that actually matters today is the one between Kim and Putin, and Trump?

Well, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to see exactly where he fits into this particular ménage à trois.

At almost exactly the same moment Trump was talking up his personal relationship with Kim, Kim was reaffirming his increasingly close relationship with Moscow.

So while Russia and North Korea are openly deepening their strategic cooperation, Pyongyang has become directly involved in Russia’s war against Ukraine, more so now than at any point since 2022.

This, is what’s making the timing so extraordinary.

North Korea is helping Russia wage war in Europe, while the President of the United States is publicly worrying about offending North Korea and cutting exercises with the ally North Korea directly threatens.

Unfortunately, this is becoming a depressingly familiar pattern.

Week after week, America’s traditional allies are publicly criticised, pressured or treated as though they are the problem, while authoritarian leaders receive remarkably conciliatory language and gestures.

Whatever Trump believes his personal relationship with Kim Jong Un might achieve, geopolitics has moved on considerably since their meetings, while Kim has also chosen his strategic partner, and openly — Vladimir Putin.

It’s really hard not to see how Trump is somehow not having his strings pulled like a marionette, with the pattern becoming increasingly difficult to explain away.

There have been countless rumours and theories over the years — kompromat, business interests, personal relationships, financial leverage and Russian influence among them. The kompromat allegations, in particular, have never been publicly proven, despite years of investigation and speculation, even with Epstein hanging around his neck like a lead weight.

But frankly, I don’t need rumours to judge what I can see happening in front of me.

I keep hearing the same thing:

“He’s changed, Shaun.”, and frankly, that’s bollocks.

Shaun Pinner@ShaunPinnerUA

Trump has chosen North Korea over long serving allies to the US 🇺🇸 This has to stop.

7:19 AM · Aug 17, 2026 · 29K Views

82 Replies · 364 Reposts · 3.01K Likes

As another week passes, the pattern continues with more concessions, another attack on an American ally, another piece of pressure removed from Moscow and its closest partners, from sanctions relief for Lukashenko’s Belarus to reducing military exercises with South Korea, and yet another moment materializes when Putin appears to emerge as the ultimate beneficiary.

So at some point, you have to stop judging Trump by what people insist he secretly intends to do, what they secretly hope is happening, and start judging him by the consequences of what he actually does, something I’ve been consistent on from the beginning.

This weekend, Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the Pentagon to “substantially reduce” US participation in joint military exercises with South Korea, describing the drills as expensive and sending an unnecessarily “hostile” signal towards North Korea.

Trump also justified the decision partly by pointing to his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un.

While earlier, Trump had even posted an old photograph of himself with Kim at the Korean Demilitarised Zone, writing that the pair “get along great,” Trump returning to one of his favourite pieces of political nostalgia, personal diplomacy of his first presidency.

Except this isn’t 2019, and North Korea isn’t simply sitting on the Korean Peninsula firing missiles into the sea.

Christiane Amanpour@amanpour

For 70 years, America has held these joint exercises to train AND reassure its Asia-Pacific allies. Furthermore, North Korea's Kim Jong Un is NOT respectful of the USA, now or ever. In the past few months, he has blatantly said NoKo is and always will be a nuclear power,

Commentary Donald J. Trump Truth Social Posts On X @TrumpTruthOnX

Based on my very good relationship with Kim Jong Un, of North Korea, I am not happy with the fact that the United States has, long ago, agreed to participate in Joint Military Exercises with South Korea. These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by

11:51 AM · Aug 17, 2026 · 51.7K Views

79 Replies · 486 Reposts · 1.27K Likes

North Korea is increasingly participating in a war in Europe, the biggest land war since 1945, and while Trump talks about avoiding “hostile” signals towards Pyongyang, North Korean ballistic missiles are being used against Ukrainian cities, North Korean troops have already fought alongside Russia, and Ukrainian intelligence says an entire North Korean ballistic missile unit is deploying, if not already deployed, to western Russia.

North Korea absolutely is not avoiding hostilities, but is actively taking part in them.

That should fundamentally change how the West views Kim Jong Un, right?

Wrong.

Instead, Trump appears to be doing precisely the opposite, while openly undermining long-standing relationships with allies built up over decades.

Just recently, on August 11, Russia launched another major combined attack against Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities said the barrage included North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, alongside Russian Zircon missiles and drones.

Then, during the overnight attack of August 16, North Korean weaponry reportedly appeared again.

Russia launched another wave of missiles and drones towards Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kremenchuk and Kryvyi Rih. Ukrainian reporting identified KN-23 ballistic missiles among the weapons used, with a North Korean missile reportedly striking the Kyiv region.

This is no longer an occasional appearance of North Korean ammunition on the battlefield — it’s becoming part of Russia’s strike capability, and an important one.

KyivPost@KyivPost

Russia has received a new batch of ballistic missiles from North Korea, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. He added that Moscow is also preparing to deploy an additional contingent of North Korean troops on Russian territory.

6:04 PM · Aug 10, 2026 · 12.1K Views

4 Replies · 68 Reposts · 152 Likes

The KN-23 is a solid-fuel, road-mobile short-range ballistic missile that has been used by Russia against Ukraine since at least late 2023. Analysts examining its performance believe North Korea has also gained something extremely valuable from that experience: real-world combat data allowing it to improve its weapons.

Ukraine is therefore not simply being attacked with North Korean missiles, Ukraine is effectively becoming a testing ground for the development of North Korea’s ballistic missile programme.

And missiles are only part of the equation.

Shaun Pinner@ShaunPinnerUA

Russia launched another ballistic missile attack on Ukraine overnight. Approximately 8 Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles were reportedly launched from the Bryansk and Kursk regions, targeting Kyiv and Kremenchuk. The KN-23 is North Korean-made, further evidence that

6:35 AM · Aug 16, 2026 · 9.77K Views

13 Replies · 117 Reposts · 249 Likes

Zelensky has now warned that as many as 50,000 North Korean troops could be deployed to Russia, on top of the roughly 14,000 already sent to support Russian operations in the Kursk region.

To put that number into perspective, the entire full-time trade-trained British Army currently stands at around 70,760 personnel.

Think about that for a moment.

We are potentially talking about a North Korean force approaching three-quarters the size of the entire trained British Army, and certainly larger than its ‘teeth’, the Army’s frontline fighting element, all while gaining invaluable battlefield experience in a European war, as North Korea’s ballistic missile programme is tested, adapted and refined against Ukrainian cities in real-world combat.

It’s not some collection of poorly trained foreign recruits being thrown into Russian units. This is the military of a sovereign state increasingly integrating its manpower, missiles and weapons into Russia’s war machine, and learning from the experience.

While soldiers gaining that experience, and the ballistic missile programme being tested and refined through real-world combat, are ultimately aimed far beyond Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported something potentially far more significant, and something I have previously alluded to. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, a North Korean ballistic missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia.

The reported deployment involves approximately 90 North Korean personnel, potentially operating six launchers with as many as 120 ballistic missiles, with the unit expected to operate from Russia’s Voronezh region.

A source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the United States was aware of the deployment.

Think about what that actually means.

We are potentially moving beyond Russia simply purchasing North Korean ballistic missiles and firing them at Ukraine, but now talking about North Korean military personnel deploying alongside those weapons into Russia, potentially operating as part of a missile unit capable of supporting ballistic missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, possibly Europe.

And the United States knows.

That means the Trump administration knows, and almost certainly President Trump knows. North Korea is becoming increasingly involved in Putin’s war, no longer simply supplying Russia from thousands of kilometres away, but potentially deploying its own military personnel and ballistic missile capability onto Russian territory to support attacks, not just against Ukraine, but Russia’s westward war in Europe.

I have said before, it is becoming increasingly difficult to describe this simply as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia started this war & remains responsible for it, but the military coalition sustaining it is becoming increasingly international, supported directly by another state’s soldiers, ammunition and ballistic missile capability.

Once again, Trump appears to be helping that relationship along as North Korea is increasing its military pressure on Ukraine, & now Europe, while the President of the United States is reducing its military pressure on North Korea, an active decision that will undoubtedly have serious repercussions in the future.

There is nothing inherently wrong with diplomacy, talking to your adversaries is sometimes necessary, negotiations can prevent wars, free prisoners and reduce tensions.

I myself have benefitted from such discussions, but Washington cannot credibly claim it doesn’t know what is happening.

Trump, still however, is now reducing military exercises with South Korea, a longstanding American treaty ally, partly because he says he does not want those exercises to appear “hostile” towards North Korea.

At the same time, that dictatorship is deepening its military cooperation with Russia and gaining battlefield experience from the largest war in Europe since 1945.

That is extraordinary.

South Korea and the United States conduct exercises because North Korea maintains one of the world’s largest militaries, possesses nuclear weapons and continues developing ballistic missile systems designed to threaten South Korea, Japan and potentially the United States.

While just days before Trump’s announcement, North Korea again launched another ballistic missile, which flew approximately 700 kilometres according to South Korean and Japanese authorities, ramping up its global threat.

And now the response from Washington is to reduce allied exercises so Kim doesn’t feel threatened?

It really is difficult to imagine a clearer example of rewarding escalation.

North Korea escalates its involvement, supplies Russia with weapons, sends troops into a European war and gains invaluable combat experience, and the response is to reduce military exercises with an American treaty ally to avoid appearing “hostile” towards Pyongyang.

Yet here we are again…. again.

Ron Filipkowski@RonFilipkowski

And here we are again …

11:30 AM · Aug 17, 2026 · 32.2K Views

85 Replies · 398 Reposts · 1.81K Likes

There is another uncomfortable part of this story.

Where is Europe?

Coalition of the Willing?

Where is the political outrage?

North Korean ballistic missiles are being fired into a European country, yet politically, the reaction remains astonishingly muted.

So imagine reversing the situation.

Imagine South Korean troops deploying into Ukraine in their tens of thousands, operating missile systems against Russian cities. Moscow would certainly describe it as direct participation in the war, and it would have a point. Yet somehow North Korean involvement continues to be discussed as though it were merely another arms shipment.

It isn’t.

North Korea has crossed a line from supporting Russia’s war to increasingly integrating itself into Russia’s war machine. Western policy needs to catch up with that reality, reassure the public and respond accordingly. Yet once again, Trump is there as a safety valve, releasing the pressure on Putin for the umpteenth time.

Anonymous@YourAnonCentral

Hours after meeting Zelenskyy and then Netanyahu, Trump betrayed Ukraine again, ordering $400 million in congressionally approved military aid to be delayed until 2029. Since Trump took office, the US has provided little to no actual aid to Ukraine.

7:32 PM · Jul 30, 2026 · 366K Views

615 Replies · 5.1K Reposts · 12.9K Likes

The greatest mistake would be viewing North Korea’s involvement solely through the prism of Ukraine.

Every North Korean missile fired here provides valuable real-world data. Every North Korean artillery unit exposed to Ukrainian counter-battery warfare gains combat experience, while every soldier who survives the battlefield potentially returns home carrying lessons that can be passed on to others.

Every drone tactic, electronic warfare technique and command procedure absorbed from Russia can eventually be incorporated into North Korean doctrine in real time, and that is something Pyongyang simply cannot replicate at home.

Ukraine is effectively providing North Korea with something no training ground ever could: experience of modern, high-intensity warfare against a Western-equipped military.

Those lessons don’t stay in Europe, which makes the decision even more bizarre.

They obviously go back to the Korean Peninsula, at precisely the moment North Korea is gaining unprecedented modern combat experience alongside Russia, Washington is reducing exercises designed to ensure American and South Korean forces remain prepared to fight North Korea.

That isn’t strategic patience.

It isn’t clever diplomacy.

It is appeasement without evidence of anything meaningful being offered in return, and, as I wrote earlier, the trajectory increasingly looks closer to escalation than peace.

Trump says he doesn’t want America to send Kim Jong Un the wrong signal.

I would argue he has already sent one — a huge one, gift-wrapped and accompanied by fireworks.

North Korea can provide troops to Putin, supply ballistic missiles that are launched against European cities, deploy military personnel to Russia, expand its nuclear arsenal and continue testing missiles — and Washington will still worry more about offending Kim Jong Un than imposing consequences on him.

That is exactly the wrong message.

Trump talks about his increasingly imaginary relationship with Kim Jong Un while North Korean missiles are falling on Ukraine.

Sooner or later, the West needs to recognise what that means and address the elephant in the room: North Korea is no longer simply supporting Russia’s war from afar, it is increasingly participating in it and Trumps pushing it along.

North Korea isn’t standing on the sidelines of this war anymore, it is increasingly becoming part of Russia’s war machine. Its troops are gaining combat experience, while its ballistic missiles are being used against Ukraine.

And while around 70% of Americans may support Ukraine, one man in the White House appears determined to give Putin every possible opportunity of defeating Ukraine.

Hiya everybody,

It’s surprising how many people restack without liking the article, so if you enjoy the content, please give it a like as well, it really does help more people find our work.

Last month, we passed 3,000 subscribers here on Substack, and Voices from the Front became a Substack Bestseller, regularly ranking in the Top 50 for World Politics & News.

Every like, restack and subscription helps us continue growing and getting reporting from inside Ukraine in front of a wider audience. 🇺🇦🙏

Pinner’s Patter monthly newsletter is below, looking back on what has been an incredibly productive—and very busy—July.

When I started writing, my aim was simple: to provide honest, independent reporting from Ukraine, backed by firsthand experience rather than headlines or soundbites. I never imagined so many people from around the world would choose to come on that journey with me.

I’ve also always tried to keep the vast majority of my work free to read. I believe that reporting from Ukraine, particularly at a time when misinformation is so widespread, should be accessible to as many people as possible. Those who choose to subscribe make that possible. Your support doesn’t just help this publication grow, it helps ensure that everyone else can continue reading, whether they can afford a subscription or not.

Every subscription, every comment, every restack and every recommendation has helped build this community. In a world where misinformation spreads quickly, you’ve shown there is still a place for thoughtful analysis, reporting from the ground, and conversations rooted in facts rather than algorithms.

Many of you have been with me since Mariupol, through Russian captivity, the death sentence, my return to Ukraine, and now this new chapter of reporting, writing and broadcasting. Others have joined more recently, but whichever camp you’re in, thank you for your trust. I never take it for granted.

This isn’t just another milestone. More than 3,000 people on Substack have chosen to support independent journalism from someone living and reporting in Ukraine. Across all platforms, Voices from the Front is now followed by more than 250,000 people. That support allows me to spend more time where I believe it matters most, on the ground, documenting events, speaking to the people living through them, and trying to explain not just what is happening, but why it matters.

There is still much more to do. I’ll continue reporting from the ground, producing Voices from the Front, and telling the stories that deserve to be heard.

Thank you for reading, sharing, challenging me, and supporting this work.

We’re only just getting started.

Shaun