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The United States will purchase South Korean artillery shells for Ukraine. Photo / Illustration
Former President Russia Vladimir Putin accused South Korea of sending weapons to Ukraine some time ago. South Korea has insisted that its policy of not providing lethal aid to Ukraine remains unchanged and hopes that US troops will be the end users of its ammunition.
Citing US officials familiar with the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US and South Korea were close to an agreement to purchase 100,000 155mm artillery shells to ship to Ukraine.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Reuters news agency Friday that Washington wanted to send South Korean artillery shells to Ukraine.
The official said that funds from Ukraine’s Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) could be used to purchase ammunition, but it was unclear whether the bullets would be sent across US territory.
The official warned that news of the published talks could threaten the deal.
In response to reports on the ammunition deal, the South Korean Ministry of Defense said that its stance of not providing lethal aid to Ukraine remained unchanged and that “secret” negotiations were underway on the sale of artillery shells under the premise that the United States was the end user.
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“To make up for the 155mm ammunition shortage in the US, negotiations are underway between US and Korean companies to export ammunition,” the South Korean Defense Ministry said in a statement. Al JazeeraFriday (11/11/2022).
South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that the country’s Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had “in principle” agreed to carry out the artillery deal during the talks earlier this month.
