South Korea to double contributions to NATO's Ukraine fund
South Korea plans to double its contributions to NATO's trust fund for Ukraine to $24 million in 2025, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said on July 11, Yonhap news agency reported.
The president made the announcement during a NATO summit in Washington, where the allies gathered to discuss further support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
"(South Korea) will continue to provide security support, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction assistance (to Ukraine)," Yoon said.
"Next year, we will double our contribution to NATO's Ukraine Trust Fund compared to this year."
Seoul donated $12 million to the NATO-Ukraine Trust Fund for healthcare and rehabilitation of injured soldiers in 2024.
South Korea has provided Kyiv with extensive economic and humanitarian aid, pledging $300 million in short-term aid in 2024 and $2 billion in long-term loan interest loans.
While initially refusing to provide direct lethal military support, the country recently said it is revising this stance in light of deepening cooperation between Russia and North Korea, its chief rival.
Media reports emerged in 2023 that South Korea, a major arms producer, is indirectly supplying Ukraine with artillery shells via the U.S., but Seoul has denied this claim.
Abbey Fenbert
