Published on: 13/10/2024 – 21:07

2 minutes

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused North Korea of ​​sending troops to the Russian army and again called for more support to prevent “a bigger war.”

Zelensky’s comments came days after he visited several European capitals to make his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.

“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes such as in North Korea,” Zelensky said in his evening speech.

“It’s no longer just about transferring weapons. It actually involves the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupying forces.

“It is clear that in such circumstances our relationships with our partners need to be developed. The frontline needs more support,” he said.

“When we talk about more long-range capabilities for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our armed forces, it is not just a list of military equipment,” Zelensky said in his speech on Sunday.

“It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor, which for Russia will be stronger than they can withstand. And it’s about preventing a bigger war.”

Zelensky last week completed a whirlwind tour of European capitals, including Berlin, London, Paris and Rome, to appeal for continued military assistance as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year.

Read moreZelensky presents Ukraine’s ‘victory plan’ to Macron in Paris

Biden expects in Europe

These trips were organized at the last minute after US President Joe Biden postponed a trip to Germany originally planned last week to oversee preparations for Hurricane Milton as it approached Florida.

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Biden’s visit would include attending a meeting of more than 50 Ukrainian allies to discuss further support for Kiev, at which Zelensky was expected.

A German government source said on Sunday that Biden would now visit for one day next Friday, with Ukraine and the Middle East expected to be high on the agenda.

Earlier Sunday, Russia said it had captured another eastern Ukrainian village as it closed in on the key city of Pokrovsk, where its troops have been advancing for weeks.

Russian troops have been moving west into the Donetsk region for months, with Kiev saying this weekend that the situation was “very difficult”.

Moscow’s Defense Ministry said its forces had now captured Mykhailivka, at the gates of the city of Selydove, and south of Pokrovsk.

Selydove was badly damaged by months of shelling and saw most of the population flee.

Russia has been trying to take Pokrovsk, a mining town where about 60,000 people lived before Moscow launched its offensive. It has been claiming eastern Ukrainian villages for months.

(AFP)