SEOUL: Ukraine's defence minister arrived in South Korea and is holding bilateral meetings, Kyiv said on Wednesday, following reports that officials from the countries would discuss potential South Korean military support for Ukraine. The trip comes as South Korea signalled it could reverse a long-standing policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict following revelations that North Korea had deployed thousands of troops to aid Russia's war efforts against Ukraine. The Ukrainian defence ministry confirmed that defence chief Rustem Umerov is already in South Korea and that "his meetings there are taking place". South Korean media had reported a planned meeting between Umerov and President Yoon Suk Yeol — though the presidential office declined to confirm.
The Ukrainian delegation was expected to "share intelligence on North Korea's troop deployment to Russia" and seek Seoul's support for Kyiv's war efforts, South Korean Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with South Korean media last month that his country was preparing to submit a list of needed military support. "This will be carried out simultaneously with our envoy, who will visit South Korea soon, and discussions will be held on weapons support," Zelensky said according to a transcript by KBS. He added the list would include artillery support and air defence systems.
Earlier this month, Yoon said whether — or how — South Korea decides to help Ukraine directly depends on "the level of North Korean involvement" in the conflict, adding that Seoul was "not ruling out the possibility of providing weapons". If South Korea were to supply arms, the initial batch would be defensive in nature, Yoon said. Ukraine is reliant on Western air defence systems, particularly Patriots, to protect itself from Russian missile barrages — and has been calling for more deliveries. South Korea, which remains technically at war with the nuclear-armed North and has maintained production of weaponry long overlooked by Western arms industries, could make a significant impact if it decides to supply weapons, experts say.
South Korea and Ukraine agreed to deepen security cooperation in response to the "threat" posed by the deployment of North Korea troops in Russia, the presidency in Seoul announced. The statement followed a meeting between South Korea's president and Ukraine's defence minister after their countries sounded the alarm over the deployment of thousands of Pyongyang's troops in western Russia.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met with Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and "expressed hope that South Korea and Ukraine would work together to devise effective measures to address security threats posed by North Korea's military cooperation with Russia", the presidency said. "Both sides agreed to continue sharing information on North Korea's troop deployment to Russia and the transfer of weapons and technology between Russia and North Korea," the presidency added.
Moscow on Tuesday vowed to retaliate after announcing Ukraine had struck Russian military installations with US-supplied weapons, after President Vladimir Putin had warned Kyiv and the West against the missile attacks. Moscow and Kyiv have been ratcheting up their deadly aerial broadsides with increasingly sophisticated weapons over recent days, spurring fears the conflict could further escalate. — AFP
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