′Anything′ South Korea can do for Ukraine′s defense ability will be ′warmly welcomed′: NATO official

▲ The international media center for the NATO summit in Washington (Yonhap)

S Korea-Ukraine-support

'Anything' South Korea can do for Ukraine's defense ability will be 'warmly welcomed': NATO official

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, July 9 (Yonhap) -- "Anything" that South Korea can provide to help strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities will be "warmly welcomed," a senior NATO official said Tuesday, stressing the "strategic" implications of Russia's war in Ukraine for both Europe and Asia.

The official made the remarks as Seoul has said it would reconsider its policy ban on the provision of lethal weapons to Ukraine following last month's summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.

At the summit, the two sides signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" treaty, which has further deepened concerns about their growing military alignment and its implications for security.

"As far as South Korea providing weapons to Ukraine, I think that ultimately, we all have an interest in ensuring that Russia does not achieve a victory here, and I think that the outcome of this conflict has strategic implications in Europe, and it has strategic implications in Asia," the official said in a press briefing.

"I think that anything that South Korea can do -- that improves Ukraine's ability to defend itself against an illegal invasion from Vladimir Putin -- is something that would be warmly welcomed," he added.

Asked to comment on the future of arms transactions between Moscow and Pyongyang, the official noted that "the biggest thing" that Russia needs from the North at this point are artillery munitions and ballistic missiles.

"Those are the two things that they are getting from North Korea now and certainly making use of on the battlefield," he said. "We've seen North Korean missiles being used and, and we see them having an impact there."

Washington has revealed that the North provided Russia with more than 11,000 containers of munitions and related material and dozens of ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

In return, the North has been seeking assistance from Moscow, including fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles and ballistic missile production equipment, according to U.S. officials.

(END)