BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a 鈥渨orld war.鈥
Zelenskyy did not go into detail about the claim that came a day after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said that Washington and its allies are by North Korea's but couldn鈥檛 confirm Ukrainian claims that soldiers were sent to fight for Moscow.
鈥淔rom our intelligence we鈥檝e got information that North Korea sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine,鈥 Zelenskyy told reporters at NATO headquarters. 鈥淭hey are preparing on their land 10,000 soldiers, but they didn鈥檛 move them already to Ukraine or to Russia.鈥
Earlier, he warned that any North Korean involvement would be "the first step to a world war.鈥
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the allies "have no evidence that North Korean soldiers are involved in the fight. But we do know that North Korea is supporting Russia in many ways, weapons supplies, technological supplies, innovation, to support them in the war effort. And that is highly worrying.鈥
The Ukrainian leader鈥檚 comments raised the stakes for his Western allies as he met in Brussels with European Union leaders and then NATO defense ministers to discuss his 鈥 鈥 to end the country鈥檚 devastating .
Major points of the plan include an invitation for and permission to use Western-supplied longer-range missiles to strike military targets deep inside Russia, steps that have been met with reluctance by Kyiv鈥檚 allies so far.
鈥淯kraine truly deserves to become the 33rd NATO member one day, and we must do everything to ensure this happens," Zelenskyy said in an appeal at the alliance's headquarters. "Ukrainians have shown that we can defend shared values, and we are standing against Russia, the biggest threat to Europe and global peace.鈥
He told EU leaders that 鈥渨e can end this war no later than next year鈥 if his plan is followed. Zelenskyy told reporters that the plan aims 鈥渢o strengthen Ukraine" and pave the way for a diplomatic solution to end the conflict on Europe's eastern flank.
鈥淭his plan doesn鈥檛 depend on Russian will, only on the will of our partners,鈥 he said.
In a statement after their talks with Zelenskyy, the EU leaders called for a 鈥渞apid stepping up of military support and acceleration in its delivery, in particular air defense systems, ammunition and missiles鈥 to protect Ukraine鈥檚 population and energy infrastructure.
鈥淩ussia must not prevail,鈥 the statement said.
The EU is a key supporter of Ukraine, a of the 27-nation bloc, as it fights Russia's invasion that began more than 2 1/2 years ago.
Zelenskyy had outlined the five-point plan to Ukraine鈥檚 parliament on Wednesday without disclosing confidential elements that have been presented in private to key allies, including the United States.
Hungarian Prime Minister , widely seen as having the warmest relations of any EU leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin, called Zelenskyy's plan 鈥渕ore than frightening鈥 in a Facebook post. He said he would urge major EU powers France and Germany to 鈥渂egin negotiations with the Russians as soon as possible, in order to find a way out of this situation.鈥
Rutte said Kyiv can rest 鈥渁bsolutely assured that 32 allies are united in making sure that collectively, we will do whatever is needed to make sure that Ukraine can prevail, that Putin will not get his way.鈥 He reiterated that Ukraine鈥檚 place is among NATO鈥檚 ranks, but would not say when it might join.
Zelenskyy told EU leaders that his troops must keep battling Russian forces in Ukraine "while also bringing the war back into Russia so that Russians can feel what war is like and begin to hate Putin for it.鈥
Zelenskyy said he needs to "move some partners forward鈥 on the issue. 鈥淎nd I think only with the unity in EU we can move and can move not only EU leaders, we can move other leaders.鈥
Thursday's talks in Brussels come as Ukrainian troops are struggling to hold off better-equipped Russian forces, where they are gradually being pushed back. Kyiv is surviving with Western help, but Ukraine says it is coming too slowly.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized slow Western decision-making over Ukraine and said it 鈥渨ould be a great mistake to think that our hesitance is the best way to de-escalation.鈥
At their in July, the 32 NATO members declared Ukraine on an 鈥渋rreversible鈥 path to membership.
But for now, NATO is in a holding pattern. Its biggest and most powerful member, the United States, is facing a . European allies expect little movement on Ukraine until a new president takes office in January.
Beyond that, the United States and European heavyweight Germany remain deeply concerned about being dragged into a wider war with nuclear-armed Russia, and they lead a group of countries that oppose allowing Ukraine to join NATO until the conflict ends.
___
Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press reporter Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
___
Find more AP coverage at
