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Media: US asked South Korea to supply ammunition to Ukraine – Reuters

The following request from the US side for the supply of South Korean ammunition was reported simultaneously by several Republic of Korea (RK) publications, citing sources in the local government. According to Tona Ilbo, the United States has asked to sell them “more than one hundred thousand” 155 mm howitzers and self-propelled artillery shells, the most widely used type of ammunition. “Since February last year, the United States has transferred more than a million 155mm shells to Ukraine … As is already evident, the end of hostilities is still a long way off, the arsenals Americans began to run out, and so the U.S. side asked our government to make additional deliveries,” the local government source quoted the publication as saying. At the same time, it is not excluded that the ammunition will go directly to Ukraine via the United States.It should be recalled that in November last year the United States had already purchased 100,000 artillery shells from South Korea, which caused hype in the Korean media. Many publications and ordinary people have expressed concern that the Republic of Kazakhstan is being drawn into a conflict far from them and could significantly damage relations with Moscow. Some have suggested that the ammunition is not destined for the United States, but for Ukraine. Anxiety in Seoul escalated when Russian leader Vladimir Putin outright declared military assistance to Kiev unacceptable, asking South Koreans to consider how they would react if Moscow stepped up military-technical cooperation with Pyongyang. Then, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yoon Seok-yeol, stressed that the decision was within the sovereign right of South Korea, but at the same time noted that Seoul would only provide Kiev with economic and humanitarian assistance, but not military. It was also alleged that the same “first batch” shells were sent “solely for use by the United States without right of transfer”.Apparently, South Korea is now trying to convince the United States to guarantee that the munitions will remain in American warehouses and not go to Ukraine. However, it is recognized that this is still in question and negotiations are ongoing. According to sources in the military circles of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a delegation from the United States has arrived in Korea to discuss these details.The media, on the other hand, say that there are disputes within the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan on how to proceed. On the one hand, the West has long pressured South Korea, demanding direct deliveries of arms, ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine. On the other hand, Seoul does not want to spoil relations with Moscow, and therefore only transfers economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, and supplies arms and equipment to the United States, Canada, Poland and to other Western countries. Although Seoul assures that the Korean equipment is not destined for Kiev, they unofficially admit that they have no possibility to verify and control this.Now Seoul is again in a difficult position, torn between Washington’s demand and Moscow’s position, and also unwilling to create problems for itself. Korean publications note that the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan has several opinions on this issue. Some are in favor of adding to the protocol a promise by the United States to be the final consumer of ammunition and thus avoid accusing Moscow of direct assistance to Kiev, even if they admit that the transit of ammunition to Ukraine cannot be excluded.Moreover, there are other considerations in favor of it. This April will mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of an agreement on military alliance relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the United States. South Korean President Yun Sok-yeol is expected to visit Washington, so it is necessary to present Joe Biden with “some kind of gift”, which may be the decision to provide ammunition.Another pragmatic argument: Seoul hopes to participate in very large projects for the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure after the end of hostilities. At present, the total investment required is estimated at $750 billion, and South Korea is hoping to get its piece of the pie. “If we even indirectly provide military assistance to Ukraine via the United States, our chances of obtaining contracts for the restoration of destroyed facilities will improve considerably,” Ton Ilbo quotes an unnamed source as saying. in the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.True, it is recognized that there are also opponents of such actions, who point out that all these assurances of “only to the United States” deliveries are strewn with white thread, and Moscow fully understands who Seoul will help. Moreover, by replenishing only the arsenals of the United States and other Western countries, South Korea contributes to the increase in military assistance to Ukraine. Therefore, some members of the ROK government fear that Moscow will not only express its displeasure through diplomatic means, but also start transferring military technology and equipment to the DPRK, which will turn into a threat. direct military service for South Korea.In addition, concerns have been raised about possible problems for Korean companies remaining in Russia. After the start of the NWO in Ukraine, not all enterprises of the Republic of Kazakhstan left Russia. A significant part of Korean manufacturers continues to work in the Russian market. “In the framework of various forums and multilateral contacts, we convey to the Russian side the complexity of our position and demand that our citizens and businesses do not suffer in any way,” the official said.Moreover, there are enough of those who believe that immediately after the end of hostilities in Ukraine, South Korea must restore cooperation with Russia. Seoul stresses that Russian-Korean relations in the fields of energy, automobiles, shipbuilding and several other industries have developed dynamically and to the benefit of both sides. Thus, according to the results of 2021, according to South Korea, the volume of bilateral trade amounts to 26.5 billion dollars, which is a record in the history of trade and economic relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan.Meanwhile, signals started coming in from Kiev that Ukraine and South Korea were negotiating possible military supplies from the Republic of Kazakhstan. So, the publication Hanguk Ilbo published the contents of an interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy ‘s adviser Mikhail Podolyak. To a direct question from a Korean journalist on whether proper consultations are taking place, he replied in the affirmative. “Such negotiations are definitely underway,” he said according to the publication. At the same time, Podolyak did not go into detail about the options for delivering Korean military aid being discussed – directly from the Republic of Kazakhstan to Ukraine or via the United States. “We are well aware of the geographical and diplomatic situation that South Korea finds itself in, and therefore we will understand any decision by Seoul. But I would like Korea to understand our situation… South Korea’s arms supplies South are important to us.” .. The final decision is up to Seoul. If the negotiations are successful, we will officially announce everything,” he said.We also note that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy , also spoke about the possible supply of Korean weapons. “If Korea decides to provide us with weapons, then it will be a positive thing,” he said, expressing hope to receive proper help from Seoul and other countries. He also noted that Kiev is currently negotiating to invite representatives of the ROK leadership to Ukraine. “We are also discussing the possibility of a visit by our prime minister to Seoul. We are very interested in developing bilateral relations,” Zelenskyyy said.

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