North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Kyiv and its western allies, who initially estimated their numbers at 10,000 or more.

In a post on X, Zelenskiy said that the soldiers had been brought to Kyiv and were communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the country’s domestic intelligence agency.

“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” Zelenskiy stated.

He added that journalists would be given access to speak to them.

Kyiv says that North Korean troops are fighting in the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an incursion in August. Kyiv says it still controls several hundred square kilometres of territory there.

Pyongyang has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells, according to Kyiv and its western allies.

Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean troops in Kursk, and there was no immediate reaction from Moscow or Pyongyang to the latest report.

Ukraine had previously announced it captured North Korean soldiers in combat, but that they had been badly wounded and died shortly afterwards.

President Volodymyr Zelensky previously suggested that initial talks on resolving the war might involve US President-elect Donald Trump before potentially engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“This (the introduction of sanctions against the Russian Federation) was not done with the expectation that it would become a bargaining chip that could be taken off the table when Ukraine wants to sit down at this negotiating table. There is no expectation now that either side is ready for negotiations,” Kirby said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expects a Zelensky and Trump meeting soon after the upcoming inauguration.

Also, Kirby stated that recent US sanctions on Russia’s oil sector were not introduced as leverage for future peace talks but were based on energy market forecasts.

Kirby noted that earlier large-scale sanctions in this area were delayed to prevent domestic energy price hikes.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration plans to introduce a “big package” of sanctions on Russia’s shadow fleet and individuals, Reuters has reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Despite Western efforts to reduce Russia’s income from oil funding its war against Ukraine, Moscow has been able to bypass sanctions and sell Russian oil above the imposed price cap of $60 per barrel with the buildup of a fleet of aging vessels with dubious ownership.