Zelenskiy Criticizes Partners For Weak Response To North Korean Troops In Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (file photo)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on November 1 criticized Kyiv’s partners for a lack of action in response to Russia's deployment of North Korean troops.

Ukraine knows where Russia is building up soldiers from North Korea on its territory, and it would be possible to strike preemptively if Kyiv were not restricted, Zelenskiy said.

The United States said on October 31 that it has information that some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia’s Kursk region near the border with Ukraine, and Russia "fully intends" to deploy them in combat against Ukrainian troops.

SEE ALSO: U.S. Says 8,000 North Korean Troops Ready For Combat In Kursk Region

Zelenskiy complained on Telegram that instead of granting Ukraine permission to use U.S.-supplied long-range weapons to hit military targets inside Russia, the United States and other allies are simply watching.

“Everyone is just waiting for the North Korean military to start attacking Ukrainians as well,” he said.

He added that all countries who want the war not to expand and not spread to other regions of the world “need to act."

Zelenskiy for months has called on Ukraine's allies to allow its forces to use advanced Western weapons to hit deeper inside Russia. He reiterated the plea in the aftermath of a Russian strike on Kharkiv on October 31 that left three people dead and at least 36 wounded.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in September that the use of donated U.S. weapons for long-range strikes into Russia would not turn the tide of the war in Ukraine's favor. The United States and its allies previously ruled out their use to strike deep in Russia over fears that it could result in retaliation with nuclear weapons.

Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with their South Korean counterparts on October 31 in Washington to discuss the deployment and Pyongyang's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) early on October 31.

“We strongly urge [North Korea] to immediately cease its series of provocative and destabilizing actions that threaten peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” they said in a joint statement that did not mention Ukraine.

The Pentagon previously expressed concern over Russia's involvement of North Korean troops in the war and said they would become "legitimate military targets" if they are deployed to the battlefield.