Zelenskyy calls on China to pressure North Korea over Ukraine conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on China to leverage its influence over North Korea on Friday, urging Beijing to help prevent further escalation of the war in Ukraine.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy underscored China’s responsibility to pressure Pyongyang, saying, “The Korean nation should not lose its people in the battles in Europe. And this can be influenced, particularly by Korea’s neighbors, especially China. If China is sincere in its statements that the war should not escalate, it must exert appropriate pressure on Pyongyang.”

The remarks came after a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, where Zelenskyy and his military leaders reviewed developments on the frontlines. The Ukrainian president noted intense fighting in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Kharkiv regions, where Russian forces continue their offensive.

Zelenskyy also expressed concern over reports that North Korean military personnel have joined Russian troops in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. According to the president, these forces have suffered significant losses and face dire conditions.

“They have many losses. A great deal. And we can see that the Russian military and the North Korean enforcers have no interest in the survival of these Koreans at all,” Zelenskyy stated. He further alleged that North Korean soldiers are being executed by their own ranks to prevent their capture.

Ukrainian forces recently encountered several wounded North Korean soldiers who could not be saved, highlighting what Zelenskyy called the “madness” of authoritarian regimes. “This is one of the manifestations of the madness dictatorships are capable of,” he said.

Zelenskyy’s appeal to China comes amid increasing scrutiny of Pyongyang’s role in the conflict, as questions grow about its military cooperation with Russia. Beijing, a key ally of North Korea, has yet to respond to Kyiv’s calls for intervention.