Ukrainian Defense Minister Goes to South Korea with Weapons Wish List

According to sources, a Ukrainian delegation led by Defense Minister Rustam Umerov is expected to visit South Korea to request arms assistance. South China Morning Post.

A source who requested anonymity said the delegation plans to meet with South Korean officials “as early as Wednesday” to request air defense missiles and artillery systems. South Korea’s defense ministry declined to comment on the visit.

Currently, South Korea limits its support to Ukraine to non-lethal aid such as gas masks and field rations, adhering to a long-standing policy of not providing lethal weapons to active conflict zones.

Opposition lawmakers have warned that South Korea’s defense minister could be fired if the government approves military aid to Ukraine without parliament’s approval.

Doo Jin-ho, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyzes, suggested that although South Korea is a world leader in conventional weapons production, it will likely tread cautiously.

“South Korea will listen to Ukraine’s request but is unlikely to make a clear commitment to provide weapons,” he said. “The government is expected to adopt a wait-and-see approach, monitoring Russia’s military ties with North Korea before deciding on its next steps.”

Doo attributed Seoul’s hesitation to multiple factors, including threats from Moscow, domestic opposition and the potential impact of Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

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“There seems to be a change in tone after the US elections,” Doo added, noting that South Korea is cautiously recalibrating its policy.

Moscow warned South Korea that supplying arms to Ukraine would “completely destroy” bilateral relations. “We hope that Seoul will prioritize long-term national interests over short-term opportunistic considerations from outside,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Sunday. he said.

Other experts expressed doubts about South Korea’s ability to comply with Ukraine’s request. Lee Sung-won of the Sejong Institute suggested that Seoul could align its policy with a potential Trump administration, while Cho Han-bum of the Korea National Unification Institute said Moscow appeared eager to maintain its ties with Seoul and was willing to overstep the line by providing lethal weapons. He said he warned against it. Aid to Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg, South Korea, which has recently signaled a potential shift towards supplying weapons to Ukraine, may step back as US President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House with plans to negotiate an end to the war.

Historically, Seoul has banned the sending of lethal weapons to conflict zones. However, reports that North Korean troops support Russia prompting President Yoon Suk-yeol to reconsider.

In October, South Korean intelligence confirmed that North Korean troops had been deployed to Russia’s Kursk region, and Yoon warned that his country could increase its support for Ukraine if North Korean forces continued to support Russia.

“Depending on the level of North Korea’s involvement, we will gradually adjust our support strategy in phases,” Yoon said at a news conference in Seoul. “This means that we do not rule out the possibility of providing weapons.”

Yoon added that his office will closely monitor developments regarding the activities of North Korean troops and noted that any decision on supplying weapons to Kiev will focus primarily on defense systems.

According to him, if Seoul moves forward with weapons support, its priority will be defensive weapons.

But Trump’s potential diplomatic efforts It could force Seoul to return to its policy of non-interference.

Amid these developments, Ukraine is searching for South Korea’s large stockpile of 155 mm artillery shells. As tensions rise over North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war effort, President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to send an envoy to Seoul to discuss the issue.