Moscow warns Seoul over Ukraine arms supply
Russia on Saturday warned South Korea against arms supplies to Ukraine under a NATO-sponsored programme as the war between the two powerful republics of the former USSR is about to complete four years soon. “We would like to emphasise again that a possible participation of the Republic of Korea in such supplies in any form, direct or indirect, only postpones the prospects for a settlement of the conflict,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
She warned that Moscow will be forced to take retaliatory measures, including asymmetric ones, if Seoul participates in the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) programme. NATO established the PURL programme in 2025 in response to a US decision to stop providing weapons to Ukraine for free. Under the programme, Kyiv formulates its military needs, while the EU allocates funds, purchases the weapons from the United States and provides them to Ukraine for free.
“This will undoubtedly cause irreparable damage to the relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea and destroy the prospects for restoring a constructive dialogue on the Korean peninsula. In this case, we will be forced to use the right to retaliate, including asymmetric measures,” Zakharova added. Zakharova noted that Moscow was surprised to hear reports about Seoul’s possible participation in this programme, since such steps would be at odds with the country’s official line of non-participation. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
