MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Russia expects Seoul to refrain from supplying weapons to Kiev, otherwise there will be negative consequences for bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated.
"We expect Seoul to maintain its current restrained approach, in line with its previous assurances that it would not supply lethal weapons to the Kiev regime," the diplomat told reporters at a briefing. "We would like to avoid negative consequences for Russian-South Korean relations, which will inevitably follow if this approach changes," she noted. Zakharova recalled that "Russia’s principled position on this issue has been clearly and comprehensively conveyed to the South Korean side through diplomatic channels." "We assume that the South Korean government is well aware of this," the spokeswoman noted.
At the same time, the diplomat stressed that "military-technical cooperation between South Korea and NATO member states is intensifying." "These activities involve not only the rearmament of NATO’s eastern flank, but also, in effect, the indirect supply of lethal weapons to the Kiev regime. This is happening thanks to the supply and local production of South Korean offensive weapons and military equipment, including artillery systems and missile defense systems, in a number of Eastern European countries," the diplomat explained. She pointed out that Moscow "closely monitors Seoul’s activities and takes them into account."