Ukraine's president accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and preparing to send thousands of troops to help Moscow's war effort, although NATO's chief said there was no evidence of Pyongyang's presence at this stage.

Iran has been providing Russia with military aid for more than two years, including deadly Shahed drones used in daily swarm attacks against Ukrainian civilians. Despite the bulk of evidence, both Russia and Iran denied, falsely, Tehran’s aiding of Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says his country has intelligence that North Korean troops are being prepared to join Russian forces in Ukraine.