SEOUL, May 5. /TASS/. The worsening of relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea due to the Russian special military operation in Ukraine was not inevitable, Park Byung-hwan, director of the Eurasian Strategy Research Institute, told TASS.

"Relations between Russia and the Republic of Korea are not doomed to get worse because of the war in Ukraine," he said. "Recently, we have heard many concerns voiced over the rapprochement between Russia and North Korea. I’d like to ask whether the ties with Russia were handled wisely enough to prevent such a reaction?" a former Moscow-based South Korean diplomat asked.

According to him, countries in their relations with each other are not guided by morals, but only pursue state interests. "There is no need for South Korea to be obsessed with maximum support for Ukraine because of the importance of relations with the US. It does not seem wise to prioritize the diplomacy of values without looking back at its own interests around this war," the institute's director said.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the possibility of restoring relations with Seoul last December, the Republic of Korea responded by expanding its list of export control goods, the analyst said. In January, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said he personally thought it was right to fully support Ukraine, later explaining, however, that his words had been misinterpreted.

Park reiterated that the collective West had provided Kiev with huge amounts of weapons and financial aid and imposed unprecedented economic sanctions against Russia, but the Ukrainian counteroffensive failed and the Ukrainian army was short of munitions. "Against the backdrop of these results, there is growing skepticism in the international community about the possibility of Ukraine’s victory," the expert stressed.

He said it was practically impossible for Ukraine to turn the tide of the conflict without direct NATO interference, while most members of the alliance are against sending troops. According to him, whether Kiev will be able to continue its resistance "completely depends" on the help from the West, especially the US.