President Zelensky Condemns Ukrainian Allies For Not Responding To The Deployment Of North Korean Soldiers

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Source: President.gov.ua)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced what he called a "zero" response from his allies to Russia's deployment of North Korean troops for war in Ukraine, saying a weak reaction would prompt Vladimir Putin from Russia to increase troop numbers.

The Ukrainian leader, in an interview with South Korea's KBS television channel Thursday said he believed Moscow had sought to approve the deployment of technical forces and North Korea's "large numbers of civilians" to work in Russian military factories.

"Putin is examining the Western reaction. And I believe that after all these reactions, Putin will decide and increase the number of troops. The current reaction is nothing, absolutely nothing," President Zelensky said.

Earlier, President Zelensky publicly began warning of North Korea's involvement in the war on October 13.

Western allies have since described the move as a major escalation, but have not announced any countermeasures or said they are preparing to implement it.

In comments to his interview, President Zelensky said he was surprised by China's "quiet", the world's second economy, for deploying the troops.

President Zelensky said Ukraine had "clear information" that Russia had confirmed the deployment of North Korean troops directly to the West via intelligence channels.

"The Russian Federation discussed this issue with the West and confirmed that yes, there are military personnel from North Korea who will fight against Ukraine," he said.

Meanwhile, South Korea has offered intelligence assistance and broader cooperation on the matter, and is considering sending a military monitoring team to Ukraine, according to South Korean officials.

In a statement prepared for the UN Security Council on Wednesday, the Ukrainian delegation named three North Korean generals who it said were accompanying thousands of troops of the Korean People's Army deployed to Russia to help Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Russia has not denied the involvement of North Korean troops in the war. North Korea initially denied being involved, but later defended the idea of deploying troops because it was in line with international law.

President Zelensky's immediate rhetoric tone shows Ukraine's growing frustration over the great Western support for Kyiv at a critical time in the war with Russia, with a countdown to the US presidential election on Tuesday.

Russian troops have been slowly advancing for months in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv troops who are outnumbered and weapons have struggled to find a way to contain them.