ADVERTISING

North Korea is sending weapons and soldiers to support Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

He made the remark on Sunday during his daily address to the nation, adding that Ukraine's relations with Western partners must be developed to keep the opposing alliance at bay.

“When we talk about more long-range capabilities for Ukraine and more critical supplies for our armed forces, it is not just about a list of military equipment,” he said.

“It's about increasing the pressure on the attacker, who will be stronger for Russia than it can withstand. And it’s about preventing a bigger war.”

The Ukrainian leader said he would continue to pursue his “victory plan” – a proposal that supposedly sets out the right conditions for an end to the war – to guarantee peace.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has become one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

The claim that North Korea was sending soldiers to support Russian troops was swam first on Oct. 11 after media reports suggested that senior officials in Kiev and Seoul claimed that North Korean military engineers had been deployed to help Russia attack Ukraine with ballistic missiles.

According to the media report, North Korean troops were also fighting in Ukraine.

The Kremlin denied the claims, with Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters in Moscow: “This looks like another hoax.”

Washington claims Pyongyang sent more than 16,000 shipping containers of ammunition to Russia.