During the visit to South Korea, the Ukrainian delegation led by the Minister of Defense Rustem Umyerov requested the sale of air defense systems. However, Seoul refused, citing export law restrictions that prohibit the delivery of weapons to active war zones. About this informs edition of SBS.
During negotiations with South Korean President Yoon Seok-yol and Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyung, the Ukrainian side offered to purchase Cheongung anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as radar systems for air defense and counter-battery combat. In addition, given the difficulty of supplying full-fledged 155-mm ammunition, Kyiv put forward a proposal to purchase individual components for their production.
“The South Korean government has announced that due to high demand and export obligations, the supply of Cheongung systems before 2030 is impossible. Also, South Korea does not have stocks of K2 tanks and self-propelled artillery units K9 for export, which were of interest to the Ukrainian side.”, – notes the publication.
Despite the refusal of the South Korean government, some defense companies received contacts from the Ukrainian delegation. However, the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea called on companies to refrain from independent negotiations regarding agreements with Ukraine.
The main reason for the refusal was the national legislation, which prohibits the export of weapons to countries at war. In addition, the position of the newly elected US President Donald Trump, who announced his intention to quickly end the armed conflict in Ukraine, was taken into account.
