North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 troops to Russia: Zelensky

North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, which could be the first step toward a "world war."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks at a press conference on the margins of a EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. [AFP)/Zelensky]

North Korea is preparing to send 10,000 soldiers to join Russia's war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, which could be the first step toward a "world war."

"We know about 10,000 soldiers of North Korea that they are preparing to send to fight against us," Zelensky said at a press conference in Brussels, citing military intelligence sources. He said they included armed forces and other tactical personnel.

He warned that a third nation joining with Russia "is the first step to a world war."

Zelensky said that some North Korean soldiers had already arrived in Ukraine. He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "afraid of mobilization" and is "trying to involve other participants" in the war against Ukraine.

Zelensky has met with EU leaders and NATO defense ministers to discuss his "victory plan" to end the war with Russia.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the alliance had no "definitive" information" on this matter.

This comes as North Korea and Russia have deepened military cooperation as Moscow seeks artillery shells and other support in its war against Kyiv. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Putin sealed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that included a mutual defense pledge in their summit in Pyongyang in June.

The Kyiv Independent reported on Tuesday that North Korea sent 10,000 soldiers to Russia to strengthen its war efforts against Ukraine, citing a Western diplomat familiar with the matter.

The Kyiv Post reported, citing Ukraine's military intelligence, that up to 3,000 North Koreans are being trained to join a "Special Buryat Battalion" under the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces.

This comes as analysts say that North Korean engineers and trainers are in Russia and parts of Ukraine to assemble and operate North Korean-made ballistic missiles.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it is "closely monitoring" signs that Russia is training North Koreans for deployment along the front lines of its war in Ukraine.

John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, said Washington could not independently confirm the reports of North Korean troops fighting on behalf of Russia but called them "concerning."

He said if the reports are true, it would represent a "significant deepening" of their military relationship and "a new level of desperation by Putin as he continues to try to make progress in Ukraine."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]