Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko warned in an interview with Tass news agency that Moscow would take 'retaliatory measures' if South Korea supplies lethal weapons to Ukraine. The remarks reference the U.S. Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. South Korea has provided only nonlethal and humanitarian aid to Ukraine since Russia's war began in 2022.
SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stated in an interview with Tass news agency that bilateral ties with South Korea would suffer if Seoul supplies lethal weapons directly or indirectly to Ukraine.
"We have consistently conveyed to the South Korean side through various channels Russia's principled position on the inadmissibility of the participation of South Korea in the direct and indirect supplies of lethal weapons to the Kiev regime, including as part of the PURL initiative," Rudenko said.
"Otherwise, the bilateral relations between Russia and South Korea may be seriously affected, and we will be forced to resort to retaliatory measures. I hope that we won't be forced to resort to such steps," he added.
The comments follow a similar warning from a Russian foreign ministry spokesperson about a month ago regarding South Korea's potential PURL involvement. Seoul has limited its support to nonlethal and humanitarian aid since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Rudenko also said Russia would take "adequate countermeasures" if Japan threatens its Far East borders.
