And Biden has mere weeks to give the Ukrainians the resources they need to fight.

North Korean soldiers have begun fighting against Ukraine alongside their Russian allies, the US State Department said, after Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to aid the Kremlin’s war efforts.

North Korea ratified a major defence pact with Russia on Tuesday, outlining mutual military aid and requiring both countries to provide each other with immediate military assistance if attacked. Russia had already completed its side of the ratification last week after the pact was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.