Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea on Sunday of sending troops to Russia’s army and once again appealed for more support to prevent “a bigger war”.
Zelensky’s comments came days after visiting several European capitals to press his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.
“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like in North Korea,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
“It is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupier’s military forces.
“Obviously, in such circumstances, our relations with our partners need to be developed. The frontline needs more support,” he said.
“When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our forces, it is not just a list of military equipment,” Zelensky said in Sunday’s address.
“It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor, which will be stronger for Russia than they can withstand. And it is about preventing a bigger war.”
Zelensky completed a whirlwind tour of European capitals last week including Berlin, London, Paris and Rome to ask for sustained military aid as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on through its third year.
– Biden expected in Europe –
Those trips were organised at the last minute after US President Joe Biden postponed a trip to Germany originally due last week, to oversee preparations to deal with Hurricane Milton as it approached Florida.
Biden’s visit was to have included attending a meeting of more than 50 of Ukraine’s allies to discuss further support for Kyiv, at which Zelensky had been expected.
A German government source said Sunday that Biden was now set to visit this coming Friday for one day, with Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.
Earlier Sunday, Russia said it had captured another east Ukrainian village as it closes on the important city of Pokrovsk, where its forces have been advancing for weeks.
Russian troops have moved westward in the Donetsk region for months, with Kyiv saying this weekend that the situation was “very difficult”.
Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces had now taken Mykhailivka, at the gates of the town of Selydove, and south of Pokrovsk.
Selydove has been badly damaged by months of shelling and seen most of its population flee.
Russia has been trying to capture Pokrovsk, a mining town that was home to around 60,000 people before Moscow launched its offensive. It has been claiming east Ukrainian villages for months.
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