BRUSSELS -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday his government has intelligence information that 10,000 troops from North Korea are being prepared to join Russian forces fighting against his country, warning that a third nation wading into the hostilities would turn the conflict into a "world war."

The Ukrainian leader’s comments raised the stakes for his Western allies as he met with European Union leaders and then NATO defense ministers to discuss his “ victory plan ” to end the country’s devastating war with Russia.