President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he was seeking a strong reaction from countries who have acknowledged that North Korea is becoming more involved in Russia’s more than 2½-year-old war against Ukraine.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelensky said there was ample satellite and video evidence that North Korea was sending not only equipment to Russia, but also soldiers to be prepared for deployment.
“I am grateful to those leaders and representatives of states who do not close their eyes and speak frankly about this cooperation for the sake of a larger war,” he said. “We expect a normal, honest, strong reaction from our partners on this.”
Zelensky said greater North Korean involvement could only be harmful to everyone.
“Unfortunately, instability and threats can significantly increase after North Korea becomes trained for modern warfare,” he said.
“If the world remains silent now and we have to engage soldiers from North Korea on the front line in the same way we have to defend ourselves from (Iranian) Shahed drones, this will certainly benefit no one in the world and only prolong the war.”