France warns that North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine would be an escalation

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha visit the Saint Michael's Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV (Reuters) -The involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia's invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war, France and Ukraine's foreign ministers said at a joint press conference in Kyiv on Saturday.

France's Jean-Noel Barrot, who was making his first trip to Ukraine since becoming foreign minister in September, is also set to visit the east of the country on Sunday, where France will finance new two new centres for the protection of children impacted by the war.