South Korea is preparing to transfer hundreds of thousands of artillery shells to Ukraine, writes the Wall Street Journal.
US officials say the move will help Kiev streamline its planned counterattack on Russian forces and allow the White House to delay a difficult decision on whether to supply cluster munitions banned by many countries.
The decision marks a U-turn from Seoul, which promised artillery munitions in November but then refused to provide lethal support, after months of appeals for help from the United States as the stockpile of Pentagon ammunition is running out.
Under a confidential agreement, South Korea transferred the missiles to the United States, which in turn arranged for them to be sent to Ukraine. The White House declined to comment on the situation, as did a South Korean government spokesperson in Seoul.
The Pentagon declined to say how the ammunition was being sent or when the transfer would be completed, but acknowledged that it had been in talks with Seoul about purchasing the ammunition.
The breakthrough in South Korean ammunition supplies comes shortly after Washington and Seoul issued a joint statement on security issues during South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s visit to Washington last month.
Earlier reports said the Ukrainian side had handed South Korea a list of weapons it would like to receive, which Seoul would now consider.
Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine during his first meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This includes mine clearance equipment and ambulances. Yoon and V. Zelensky also agreed on the need for bilateral cooperation to rebuild Ukraine after the war.
Source: The Delfi
