BRUSSELS, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Ukraine’s president accused North Korea on Thursday of deploying officers alongside Russia and preparing to send thousands of troops to help Moscow’s war effort, although NATO’s chief said there was no evidence of Pyongyang’s presence at this stage.

Western countries have long accused North Korea of sending weapons to Russia, and in recent days President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said it was also sending personnel, a significant escalation of foreign assistance for Moscow’s invasion.