South Korea and the European Union agreed on Monday to launch a strategic dialogue between their senior diplomats to develop a security partnership amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and nuclear threats from North Korea.
The two European leaders arrived in Seoul on Monday for talks with South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol. Among the topics of discussion are trade deals, aid to Ukraine and North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.
European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen flew to South Korea after attending the G7 summit in Japan.
“The EU and South Korea should jointly express their strong support for maintaining a rules-based international order,” the European Council said in a statement.
The statement also said the leaders “will discuss North Korea’s repeated ballistic missile launches, its current nuclear program” and Seoul’s efforts to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
Ramon Pasheko Pardo, professor of international relations at King’s College London, told AFP that the response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a “priority” topic at the summit.
South Korea, the world’s ninth-largest arms exporter, sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and sold tanks and howitzers to Poland, a key Kiev ally against the Russian invasion.
Seoul has a long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to active conflict zones, although Yoon hinted that could change.
Last month, the president’s office warned that Seoul’s decision to send military aid to Kiev hinged on Russian actions.
Moscow’s large-scale attacks on civilians could tip the balance in favor of aid to Ukraine, he said.
So far, Europe has praised South Korea’s “tough response” to the Russian invasion, including indirect arms deliveries to Ukraine via third countries, Pardo told AFP .
“Thus, from the EU’s perspective, the summit will serve to discuss the latest developments related to the invasion, as well as to directly request Seoul to provide lethal weapons to Ukraine,” he said. declared.
Yoon spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Sunday after meeting Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska in Seoul last week.
During a meeting with Zelenskyy in Hiroshima, Yun promised Ukraine additional non-lethal assistance, including mine clearance equipment and ambulances. This was announced by the office of the President of South Korea.
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