South Korea will transfer "hundreds of thousands" of artillery rounds bound for Ukraine “under a confidential arrangement” with the U.S., the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 24.
Seoul will send the artillery rounds to the U.S., which will then arrange their shipment to Ukraine to reinforce Kyiv’s planned counteroffensive amid Russia's war.
Both the U.S. and South Korean governments refused to comment on the report but the Pentagon admitted talks with Seoul have been underway, the Wall Street Journal wrote.
Washington has led confidential talks with the South Korean government over possible munitions supplies for Ukraine since 2022. However, when the content of the discussions became public, Seoul backed off from the deal.
The shift in South Korea’s position comes soon after the joint declaration with Washington to bolster military cooperation, particularly in the face of the nuclear threat from North Korea.
In March, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov appealed to partners for aid over a critical shortage of artillery shells, limiting Kyiv’s progress on the battlefield.
The EU has pledged to jointly provide Ukraine with 2 billion euros worth of artillery munitions. Most recently, the Dutch government announced the allocation of 260 million euros to support the joint purchase.
Iryna Matviyishyn
