Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to office, Ukraine’s future course is shrouded in uncertainty as it loses ground to Russia’s far larger military.

Even as Russia seems to have the upper hand in its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin faces a growing number of challenges that will complicate any effort to lock in its gains, the outgoing Pentagon chief said.

Outgoing Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has said that even though Russia appears to have the upper hand in its invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin is facing a growing number of challenges that will complicate any attempts to consolidate its gains.

The United States warned on Wednesday that North Korea is benefiting from its troops fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, gaining experience that makes Pyongyang "more capable of waging war against its neighbors.

North Korea is learning valuable lessons from fighting against Ukraine, making it an increased threat to its neighbors, a US official said. In recent months, North Korea has sent around 12,000 troops to fight for Russia against Ukraine as part of a new security pact between its leader,

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that North Korean forces fighting alongside Russian troops against the Ukrainian military have sustained 4,000 casualties, both killed and wounded in action. Source: Interfax-Ukraine news agency,