Ukraine's president says his country and allies must evolve their response amid a deepening alliance with Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused North Korea of ​​sending not only weapons but also soldiers to support Russia in the war against Ukraine.

“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like North Korea,” Zelensky said in his video address on Sunday evening. “This is no longer just about arms transfer. It’s actually about handing over people from North Korea to the occupying forces.”

He said Ukraine and its allies must evolve their response in light of Russia's deepening alliances and reiterated his call for increased military support to prevent a larger war.

“The front needs more support,” he said. “When we talk about giving Ukraine greater long-range capabilities and more critical supplies for our armed forces, it is not just about a list of military equipment. The point is to increase the pressure on the aggressor – pressure that will be greater than Russia can handle. And it’s about preventing an even bigger war.”

Zelensky's pleas for Ukraine's allies to allow it to use long-range missiles to attack military targets deep inside Russia and limit its ability to wage war have so far failed.

He said he would continue to try to get that approval.

“True peace can only be achieved through strength, and the entire next week will be dedicated to working with our partners in the interests of that strength and true peace,” he said.

Western leaders were scheduled to meet on the issue in Germany last week, but U.S. President Joe Biden delayed his trip as Hurricane Milton hit Florida.

He is now expected to travel to Germany this week as the war in Ukraine is high on the agenda.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun said last week there was a “high probability” that North Korea would send soldiers to help Russia on the battlefield in Ukraine.

He also said it was “highly likely” that reports that North Korean officers were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Russian-occupied territory were true.

Russia dismissed the comments as “fake news.”

Relations between North Korea and Russia have deepened since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a rare visit outside his country in September 2023, traveling by train to eastern Russia, where he held talks with President Vladimir Putin and visited military bases and weapons factories.

Putin, meanwhile, traveled to Pyongyang in June for his first visit to the country in 24 years, with Kim pledging his “full support and solidarity” for Russia's war in Ukraine.

The United States, South Korea and Ukraine have accused North Korea of ​​sending weapons to Russia for the war.

In April, United Nations sanctions monitors said debris from a missile that hit Kharkiv on Jan. 2 came from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile.