Zelenskyy Voices Frustration with West’s Reaction to Russian Forces in North Korea

“I think the voices of the United States, NATO, Western partners, the global south, and China are not as loud as they need to be,” he stated.

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Zelenskyy characterized the alleged deployment of North Korean troops as part of a pattern of Russian actions over the last decade that have tested the resolve of Ukraine’s Western supporters. He highlighted the lack of a strong response from the West to Russia’s actions in Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatist movements in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. Zelenskyy suggested that the muted reaction to these events encouraged Putin to proceed with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

President Joe Biden’s administration has issued statements urging against North Korean involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and reassured that Ukrainian forces could use U.S.-donated weapons to defend against any attacks from North Korean troops.

During an Oct. 30 press briefing, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and South Korean Minister of Defense Kim Yong-hyun reiterated calls for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to withdraw his forces from Russia and avoid entangling his country in the ongoing war with Ukraine.

Austin mentioned that the United States continues to monitor the movements of North Korean troops in Russia and will collaborate with allies to discourage such actions.

Zelenskyy’s Push for Long-Range Weapons

In response to questions about whether Ukraine’s Western supporters should react to North Korean forces entering Russia, Zelenskyy linked the issue to his plea for the West to provide Ukrainian forces with long-range weapons and permit their use to strike Russian territory.

“When we discuss the topic of long-distance weapons for Ukraine and permission for Ukraine to employ such weapons, particularly against military targets in Russia, some countries express concerns about crossing red lines and escalating tensions with Russia,” Zelenskyy explained.

Zelenskyy observed that as Moscow escalates by welcoming North Korean forces into Russia, Ukraine currently has limited means to target these troops until they step foot on Ukrainian soil.

“Our ability to defend our land is restricted to when our land is already under attack, when it is occupied, when innocent lives are being lost, or are at risk of being lost,” he added.

Zelenskyy’s call for long-range weapons is part of a broader “victory plan” he has been promoting to pressure Russia into negotiating an end to the war on more favorable terms for Ukraine. While Zelenskyy presented his victory plan to Biden last month, it remains unclear if he has garnered sufficient support from the U.S. and Western allies for this initiative.

Shortly before meeting with Nordic journalists in Iceland, The New York Times reported that Zelenskyy had requested Tomahawk cruise missiles as part of a “nonnuclear deterrence package” in his victory plan. However, U.S. officials reportedly rejected certain aspects of the plan, including the request for Tomahawk missiles, deeming them unrealistic solutions. A senior administration official told The New York Times that providing Ukraine with these long-range cruise missiles would be entirely unfeasible for the United States.

Zelenskyy mentioned that conversations between Ukraine and the White House about Tomahawks and other missiles were meant to be private.

“When a lot of countries began to support the victory plan, you see what’s going on now in media. They said that Ukraine wanted a lot of missiles, like Tomahawks, etc., but it was confidential information between Ukraine and the White House. How to understand these messages?”

Zelenskiy added: “So it means between partners—there’s not any confidential things.”

The Epoch Times reached out to the White House, the National Security Council, and the Department of Defense for a comment on the reported Ukrainian request for Tomahawk missiles and Zelenskyy’s recent statements, but received no response as of press time.

The United States has been the primary source of military assistance for Ukraine throughout the ongoing conflict and has allocated around $175 billion in military and economic support related to Ukraine. However, the Biden administration has expressed reservations about taking actions that could provoke a harsh response from nuclear-armed Russia or escalate the conflict.

Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration has gradually supplied Ukraine with longer-range and more powerful weaponry, including artillery shells, missiles, tanks, and F-16 fighter jets. One of Ukraine’s longest-range weapons is the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System, which has a maximum range of approximately 190 miles.

Modern models of the Tomahawk cruise missile have a range of around 1,000 miles.

Reuters contributed to this article.