Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his nightly video address to the nation on Sunday to accuse North Korea of transferring not only weapons but also troops to bolster the Russian military’s continuing invasion of Ukraine.
“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea. This is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about transferring people from North Korea to the occupying military forces,” Zelensky said.
In light of these circumstances, Zelensky said that relations between Ukraine and its partners needed to be further strengthened, repeating his call for Kyiv’s Western allies to allow Ukraine to use US-made long-range weapons against Russia to prevent a larger war.
“The frontline needs more support. When we talk about giving Ukraine greater long-range capabilities and more decisive supplies for our forces, it’s not just a list of military equipment,” he said, adding that “it’s about increasing the pressure on the aggressor — pressure that will be stronger than what Russia can handle. And it’s about preventing an even larger war.”
Russia and North Korea have deepened military cooperation following Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, signing a defence pact in June during Vladimir Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years.
The US, South Korea and Ukraine have all accused North Korea of sending weapons to Russia for use in the war. Earlier this month The Times reported that approximately half of the 3 million artillery shells used annually by Russia in its war against Ukraine were being supplied to it by Pyongyang.
South Korea’s Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun said on Tuesday that there was a “high possibility” of North Korea deploying its soldiers to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops, adding that reports that North Korean officers had been killed in a Ukrainian attack on the Russian-occupied Donetsk region were likely to be true.
Western leaders were due to discuss support for Ukraine in Germany last week, but US President Joe Biden delayed his trip to oversee relief efforts following Hurricane Milton, which devastated large parts of Florida on Thursday and Friday. Biden is now expected to travel to Germany later this week, with the war in Ukraine high on the agenda.
“True peace can only be achieved through strength, and the entire next week will be dedicated to working with our partners for the sake of such strength, for the sake of true peace,” Zelensky said in his address.