UNITED NATIONS, November 4. /TASS/. Russia calls on South Korea to refrain from drawing itself into the United States’ reckless venture of supplying Kiev with Western weapons, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United States Anna Yevstigneyeva said.

"We regret that our old friends and partners in Seoul are rapidly losing their independence under Washington’s pressure to the detriment of its own national interests. From all appearances, they are drawing themselves into Washington dangerous schemes for expanding Western weapons supplies to Kiev, which badly needs these weapons amid its combat losses," she said at a United Nations Security Council meeting.

"We call on our South Korean colleague to think twice and not to embark on this extremely dangerous path, which will lead Seoul to nothing good. The more so as, according to South Korean polls, the majority of the country’s population do not support the idea of sending weapons to Ukraine," she stressed.

"The United States’ aggressive policy on the Korean Peninsula is among other things meant to mobilize allies against Russia," she said. "It tells much about the United States’ motives concerning this subregion."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on October 24 that Seoul might reconsider its refusal to provide Ukraine with lethal aid from a "more flexible standpoint." Media reports suggest that "indirect deliveries" through the US or other countries - rather than a direct export of munitions to Ukraine - are plausible. This approach would involve supplying nations that support Ukraine. Additionally, the media noted that defensive equipment, such as air defense systems, would be prioritized over offensive capabilities in accordance with a gradual approach.

Moscow has warned that the provision of lethal aid to Ukraine by South Korea would jeopardize its bilateral relations with Russia.