Zelenskyi says he expects Ukraine to be invited to join NATO within its international borders. South Korea weighs sending military personnel to Ukraine. Russian forces pierce the Ukrainian defensive line near Chasiv Yar, but the defense did not collapse.
Zelenskyi says he expects Ukraine to be invited to join NATO within its international borders
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said he expects that NATO will invite Ukraine to join the Alliance and that the invitation is given to the country within its international borders.
“Second, why do I emphasize the importance of an invitation? Because it is given to a country within its internationally recognized borders. Getting an invitation in war time is a principled matter for me. It is not just an invitation, but an invitation issued while the war is not yet over,” Zelenskyi said, as cited by the European Pravda.
He added that “no one will legally recognize [Ukraine’s] occupied territory as part of the territory of other states” whatever “pathway we choose to take.”
Pre-conditions for Ukraine’s membership and the duration of the accession procedure are a matter of diplomacy, the Ukrainian president said. “It can take different shapes,” he added.
Ukraine is not considering accepting NATO membership in exchange for giving up its occupied territories to Russia, Zelenskyi said.
“This is not part of the discussions. Such assumptions do not pop up in the media by chance. Some allies probably have similar thoughts. They do not share them directly with me, but bring them up through the media to check the reactions. It all depends on the Ukrainian society,” he said.
South Korea weighs sending military personnel to Ukraine
Seoul could send military and intelligence personnel to Ukraine after the North dispatched troops to support Russia in the war, South Korean media claimed on Monday, according to Newsweek.
A report said the government and military of South Korea “are reviewing a plan to send an appropriate number of personnel, including intelligence officers [specialized in North Korea] and experts in enemy tactics,” to Ukraine, citing a South Korean intelligence official.
South Korean personnel in Ukraine would interrogate or provide interpretation services if North Korean soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces, the report said. They would also provide Kyiv with information about the North’s military tactics, doctrine, and operations.
The Defense Ministry of the South said at a press briefing later on Monday that it will review measures with “an open attitude” regarding possible supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine.
On October 18, the Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security of Ukraine released a video that appears to show North Korean soldiers receiving uniforms and equipment at a Russian training base. It said the video was not more than 72 hours old. The troops were allegedly filmed at the Sergeevka Training Ground in the Far East of Russia.
Russia trains around 11,000 North Korean soldiers at four sites, unidentified security sources told The New Voice of Ukraine.
There are now nearly 11,000 North Korean infantry troops training in eastern Russia to fight in Ukraine, Head of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone on October 17.
Last week, South Korea’s national intelligence service released satellite images it said showed the first deployment of elite North Korean soldiers being moved by Russian military vessels to Vladivostok between October 8 and 13.
In a post to X on Monday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine “would mark a significant escalation.”
Russian forces pierce Ukrainian defensive line near Chasiv Yar, defense did not collapse
Russian forces have pierced Ukraine’s defensive line near the city of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, spokesperson for the 24th “King Danylo” separate mechanized brigade, Ivan Petrychak said on national television on Tuesday, adding that the defense had not collapsed and that the city was not lost to the Russians.
“Unfortunately, the enemy has breached our defensive line, but it is not the case that the breakthrough was critical or that Chasiv Yar was lost [to the Russians]. Fierce fighting is ranging now,” Petrychak said.
He added that the situation was tense throughout the past month with Russian forces trying to mount assaults on the Ukrainian positions daily.
“It’s sunny during the day, and it rains at night and in the evening, causing dense fog. [Russians] have taken advantage of the weather to cross the canal. It is now blocked and operations continue to localize [the enemy]. The brigade has directed all forces to take out Russian forces in the area where they are now blocked,” Petrychak said.
The situation in the area of responsibility for the 24th “King Danylo” separate mechanized brigade was “critically difficult”, Petrychak continued, with Russian forces outnumbering Ukrainian troops and constantly attempting to break through the Ukrainian defenses. They use artillery, missiles and aircraft to attack the Ukrainian positions. Ukrainian troops continue defensive efforts in the area, the spokesperson said.