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Politics

Lee Jae Myung at a news conference in Seoul, South Korea, on Sept. 18, 2026.
Politics

'Blown out of proportion' — Domestic politics at the core of South Korea's rift with Ukraine

by Karol Luczka

Seoul's diplomatic spat with Kyiv continues to deepen, but experts say it is less about Ukraine than about South Korea's own politics. The East Asian country, traditionally counted among Ukraine's partners in the region, announced on Oct. 8 that it is recalling its ambassador from Kyiv amid a dispute over North Korean prisoners of war (POWs). The rift started on Sept. 23 with President Volodymyr Zelensky telling the U.N. General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean POWs, capture

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Ukraine war latest: Drone strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports

Key developments on Oct. 20: * Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports * Ukraine's HUR claims 108 Russian soldiers killed, 29 captured in Sumy Oblast operation * Power outages in half of Ukraine's oblasts after Russian assault on power plants * Fire at oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov Oblast after drone attack, monitoring channels say * Poland has no Patriot missiles left for Ukraine, Sikorski says * Russian drones strike Kyiv hospital,

As Trump turns toward Russia, Zelensky drops his restraint

President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent much of the past two years trying to win over Donald Trump. Flattery, constant meetings, and carefully calibrated concessions have become hallmarks of his dealings with the U.S. president. But the strategy has failed, prompting Zelensky to change course and adopt a more confrontational tone. "Frankly, Trump has crossed the Rubicon," a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent, summing up the mood in Kyiv following Washington's latest deals with Moscow

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 16, 2026.
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