South Korea‘s President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged Saturday to “expand the scale” of his nation’s humanitarian and non-lethal navy help to Ukraine, in his first go to to the war-torn nation.
The world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, South Korea has a long-standing coverage to not provide deadly weapons to energetic battle zones.
Seoul “will expand the scale of supplies from last year, when we provided materials such as helmets and bullet-proof vests”, Yoon mentioned.
Yoon added that humanitarian assist could be elevated to $150 million in 2023, from $100 million final yr.
He made the announcement at a joint press convention with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Thank you for the meaningful talks. Thank you for your strong support,” Zelensky mentioned on the joint briefing.
“We talked about everything that is important for people to lead a normal and safe life,” Zelensky informed journalists.
He thanked Yoon “for your new initiatives to provide financial, technical and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine” with out going into element.
The Ukrainian chief additionally praised the switch of autos and demining tools that “help us save lives.”
Before the assembly, Yoon visited Bucha, the positioning of an alleged bloodbath by Russia troops.
“Ukraine now reminds me of South Korea of the past,” Yoon mentioned, hailing the worldwide help that allowed his nation to “pull off a miraculous victory” over the North and ultimately rise to develop into one of many world’s main economies.
Seoul, which stays technically at battle with nuclear-armed North Korea, produces important volumes of NATO-compatible weaponry, together with its tanks, howitzers and sought-after shell ammunition.
It has offered tanks and howitzers to Poland — a key ally for Kyiv because it battles invading Russian forces.
Seoul has beforehand hinted it might rethink its coverage of not supplying deadly assist, Yoon saying earlier this yr {that a} large-scale Russian assault on civilians might tip the stability.
But in May, South Korea dismissed a U.S. media report that its artillery rounds have been headed to Ukraine, saying its place on not offering deadly assist to Kyiv was unchanged.
Experts warn that South Korea is in a tough place due to its financial ties with Russia — its Fifteenth-largest buying and selling companion as of 2022 — in addition to Moscow’s affect over North Korea.
Source: www.anews.com.tr
