Zelensky Warns Trump Russia Is Preparing 30,000 More North Korean Troops for War Against Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Washington with a stark warning for the United States: Russia is preparing to bring in another 30,000 North Korean troops, while Pyongyang is readying additional ballistic missile launchers for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The intelligence adds weight to Kyiv’s argument that Ukraine is no longer confronting Russia alone, but a widening network of authoritarian states providing Moscow with manpower, weapons and other military support.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Zelensky raised the North Korean buildup publicly just days before his Tuesday Oval Office meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying preparations had been underway since June at Russian military facilities in the Voronezh region to receive the additional forces. Reuters independently reported that North Korea had already deployed roughly 14,000 troops to support Russia under the two countries’ mutual defense agreement. “Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea,” Zelensky said. The scale would dramatically deepen Pyongyang’s direct involvement in Russia’s war. North Korea prepares more than manpower Zelensky warned that the incoming troops are only one part of the growing military relationship. “North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia,” he said. Russia has increasingly relied on ballistic missiles and massive drone barrages against Ukrainian cities, while Kyiv is urgently seeking additional Patriot interceptors and the ability to manufacture them domestically. Other Topics of Interest ‘Sick Man With a Gun’: Polish FM Warns ‘Desperate’ Putin Could Take Dangerous Risks Radosław Sikorski warns a weakened but increasingly desperate Putin could escalate the war, including through North Korean forces or new mobilization. But Zelensky has also warned that the danger extends well beyond Ukraine. North Korea is gaining something Russia can uniquely provide: experience fighting a modern, high-intensity war dominated by drones, electronic warfare, long-range strikes and rapidly changing battlefield technology. Zelensky has argued that Moscow is helping Pyongyang improve its weapons and gain genuine combat experience – knowledge that could later threaten countries across Asia within range of North Korean missiles, posing a wider international security threat. The Institute for the Study of War’s Critical Threats Project also assessed that Russia has been preparing facilities in Voronezh since June for the expected North Korean contingent, though Zelensky has not specified when the forces would arrive. Russia increasingly depends on foreign support The prospective deployment exposes a weakness behind Moscow’s attempt to project unlimited military strength. More than four years into the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin is turning to one of the world’s most isolated regimes for tens of thousands of additional soldiers and further ballistic missile support. North Korean troops have already fought alongside Russian forces, while Pyongyang has supplied Moscow with ammunition and missiles. The latest planned deployment would push that cooperation to a new level. Russia and North Korea are simultaneously expanding the physical infrastructure connecting the two countries. A new road bridge across the Tumen River is nearing completion, adding another potential logistics route between the two militaries as their partnership deepens. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.