Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on October 17 that during his meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in September, he conveyed the necessity for Ukraine to join NATO, or else it would seek to develop nuclear weapons for its defense, as per reports from the Kyiv Independent. Speaking from Brussels, where he outlined his victory plan to EU leaders, Zelensky asserted, "Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons for protection, or it must be part of an alliance. Besides NATO, we are not aware of any other effective alliances."

⚡️ Zelensky spoke to Trump and said:

"There are two choices. Or Ukraine will have nuclear weapons, or we should have some kind of alliance, and apart from NATO we do not know any functioning alliances today. We want to choose NATO, not nuclear weapons."

He added that the… pic.twitter.com/MgXNH1WGhT

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He mentioned that Trump acknowledged his argument as fair. Zelensky referred to the Budapest Memorandum, which saw Ukraine relinquishing its nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange for security assurances from Russia, the US, and the UK He contended that while Ukraine lost its nuclear deterrent, nations retaining their nuclear capabilities have largely avoided large-scale conflicts.

Simultaneously, Zelensky emphasized his preference for NATO membership over the pursuit of nuclear arms.

In a separate warning to EU leaders during a summit, Zelensky cautioned that if North Korea were to send troops to Ukraine, it could signal the onset of a new world war. Following discussions with his colleagues, he expressed concern over intelligence reports indicating that North Korean army officers had already arrived in occupied Ukrainian territories, joining Russian forces. Zelensky noted that he could not provide specific troop numbers but emphasized that Russia is reportedly relying on North Korean assistance due to inadequate mobilization and significant casualties.

He revealed that intelligence suggested North Korea was preparing to dispatch 10,000 troops of various types to Ukraine, comprising both ground forces and specialists. Zelensky referred to this as an alarming development and insisted on its urgency during his talks with European leaders.