According to a US official, Washington intends to purchase 100,000 artillery shells made in South Korea for use in the conflict in Ukraine, despite the fact that South Korea has maintained its policy against providing Ukraine with lethal aid and that it anticipates US forces will be the final users of the ammunition.
The US and South Korea were close to reaching an agreement to purchase 100,000 rounds of 155mm artillery shells that would be shipped to Ukraine, citing US sources involved with the arrangement.
US Reiterates Desire to Buy Ammo From South Korea
Under the condition of anonymity, a US official on Friday said that Washington intended to transfer the South Korean artillery shells to Ukraine, Al Jazeera reported.
The person stated that the ammunition might be purchased using Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding, but it remained unclear if the rounds would be transported through US territory. The official issued a warning that the agreement may be in jeopardy if word of the negotiations leaked.
In response to allegations regarding the ammunition agreement, South Korea's defense ministry stated on Friday that its stance on refraining from giving Ukraine deadly assistance and its "confidential" discussions on the sale of the munitions.
South Korea has participated in meetings of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a multinational organization established by the United States to find and provide weaponry to Ukraine.
However, Seoul has so far made it clear that it would not provide Ukraine any deadly assistance; instead, it will only send non-lethal help and humanitarian goods like medical supplies and protective vests.
The transfer of funds comes as the US has warned that North Korea is covertly providing Russia with artillery ammunition for the conflict in Ukraine. The planned transfers from Pyongyang and Seoul show the strain the conflict has placed on the US and Russian defense industry bases, as per CNN.
One of the most important weapons given to Ukraine in its struggle against Russian soldiers since the beginning of the conflict has been artillery.
The US and other Western nations switched the Ukrainian military on to NATO-standard 155mm howitzers as the Soviet-era 152mm artillery pieces' ammunition supply ran out. The US has so far deployed 142 of these artillery pieces. As the battle approaches the nine-month mark, the availability of ammunition has become a problem.
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South Korea Avoids Dispute With Russia
South Korea, an ally of the US, has attempted to avoid enraging Russia for diplomatic and economic reasons as well as because of the sway Moscow may have over North Korea.
The transaction would entail 100,000 155mm artillery rounds being transferred to Ukraine, citing US sources familiar with the deal. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has urged South Korea to deliver arms, calling them "indispensable."
After Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that such a move would sever bilateral ties, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said that Seoul had not sent Ukraine any dangerous weaponry.
According to US National Security spokesman John Kirby, Washington is aware that North Korea is secretively supplying Russia with a "significant" quantity of its own artillery rounds for deployment in the Ukraine. Any arm transfers have been rejected by both Moscow and Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Thursday that the US will give Ukraine air defense systems and surface-to-air missiles as part of a new $400 million security assistance package.
Additional air defense capabilities are essential due to "Russia's relentless and merciless air strikes against Ukrainian people and key infrastructure," according to Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh. Per The Strait Times, this is the first time Ukraine has received four short-range, highly mobile Avenger air defense systems, together with the Stinger missiles they shoot.
Along with ammunition for artillery and rockets, Himars precision rocket launchers, and more than 20 million rounds for small weapons, the package also includes missiles for the HAWK air defense systems that Spain has pledged to deliver.
The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds, which are used to purchase equipment from the defense sector, will be used to rehabilitate the HAWK missiles. The package's other components will be sourced from current US stockpiles.
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