Zelensky says 10,000 North Koreans could join Russian forces in Ukraine as he pushes forward “victory plan.”

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday his government has intelligence that 10,000 troops from North Korea are ready to join Russian forces fighting his country and warned that a third nation, the plunging into hostilities would turn the conflict into a “conflict.” World War.”

Zelensky did not elaborate on the claim, which came a day after U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Washington and its allies were doing so alarmed from North Korea Military support for Russia's war in Ukraine However, could not confirm Ukrainian claims that soldiers were sent to fight for Moscow.

“From our intelligence services we have information that North Korea has sent tactical personnel and officers to Ukraine,” Zelensky told reporters at NATO headquarters. “They are preparing 10,000 soldiers on their land, but they have not yet moved them to Ukraine or Russia.”

He had previously warned that any North Korean involvement would be “the first step toward a world war.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the allies had “no evidence that North Korean soldiers were involved in the fight.” But we know that North Korea supports Russia in many ways, whether through arms supplies, technological supplies or innovations, to name a few to support the war effort. And that is extremely worrying.”

The Ukrainian leader's comments raised the stakes for his Western allies as he met in Brussels with European Union leaders and then NATO defense ministers to announce his ” Victory plan ” to end the devastation of the country War with Russia.

One of the most important parts of the plan is an invitation to it Ukraine will join NATO and permission to use long-range missiles supplied by the West to strike military targets deep inside Russia, moves that have so far met with reluctance from Kiev's allies.

“Ukraine truly deserves to one day become the 33rd member of NATO and we must do everything to ensure that this happens,” Zelensky said in an appeal at the alliance’s headquarters. “Ukrainians have shown that we can defend common values ​​and we stand against Russia, the greatest threat to Europe and world peace.”

He told EU leaders that “we can end this war next year at the latest” if his plan is followed. Zelensky told reporters the plan was aimed at “strengthening Ukraine” and paving the way for a diplomatic solution to end the conflict on Europe's eastern flank.

“This plan does not depend on the will of Russia, but only on the will of our partners,” he said.

In a statement following their talks with Zelensky, EU leaders called for a “swift increase in military support and acceleration of deliveries, in particular of air defense systems, ammunition and missiles” to protect Ukraine's population and energy infrastructure.

“Russia must not prevail,” the statement said.

The EU is an important supporter of Ukraine, a candidate member of the 27-nation bloc fighting the Russian invasion that began more than two and a half years ago.

Zelensky laid out the five-point plan to the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday without revealing confidential elements that he had privately presented to key allies, including the United States.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor OrbanIn a Facebook post, he called Zelensky's plan “beyond scary.” He said he would call on major EU powers France and Germany to “start negotiations with the Russians as soon as possible to find a way out of this situation.”

Rutte said Kiev can be “absolutely confident that 32 allies are united to ensure that together we will do everything necessary to ensure that Ukraine can win and that Putin cannot impose his will.” He reiterated that that Ukraine deserves its place in the ranks of NATO, but declined to say when it might join.

Zelensky told EU leaders his troops must continue fighting Russian forces in Ukraine “and at the same time bring the war back to Russia so that Russians can feel what war is like and start hating Putin for it.” “

Zelensky said he needed to “advance some partners” on the issue. “And I think only with unity in the EU can we make a difference, and not just the EU heads of state and government, we can also move other heads of state and government.”

Thursday's talks in Brussels come as Ukrainian troops struggle to stop better-equipped Russian forces. especially in the eastern Donetsk region where they are gradually pushed back. Kiev is surviving with Western help, but Ukraine says it is coming too slowly.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda criticized slow Western decision-making on Ukraine, saying it would be “a big mistake to believe that our hesitation is the best way to de-escalate.”

With you Summit in Washington In July, NATO's 32 members said Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to membership.

But NATO is currently in a holding pattern. Its largest and most powerful member, the United States, is facing one Presidential election. European allies expect little movement in Ukraine until a new president takes office in January.

Furthermore, the United States and European heavyweight Germany remain deeply concerned about being drawn into a larger war with nuclear-armed Russia and are leading a group of countries that are resisting Ukraine to the end to allow NATO to join the conflict.

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Corder reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Associated Press reporter Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

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For more AP coverage, see https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine