On Monday, January 30, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg called on South Korea to enhance military support for Ukraine, citing other states that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in a state of conflict after the Russian invasion.
Stoltenberg said this during a speech in Seoul, Reuters reports.
Thus, Stoltenberg thanked South Korea for providing Ukraine with non-lethal means, but called on it to do more, adding that there is an "urgent need" for ammunition.
"I urge the Republic of Korea to go ahead and step up the specific issue of military support. Ultimately, that's up to you, but I will say that several NATO allies that had policies against exporting weapons to countries in conflict have now changed that policy," he said.
Stoltenberg noted that countries such as Germany, Sweden, and Norway had similar policies but have changed them.
"If we don't want autocracy and tyranny to win, they need weapons, that's a reality," Stoltenberg said, referring to Ukraine.
The NATO chief said it was "extremely important" that Russia does not win this war, not only for Ukrainians, but also to avoid sending the wrong message to authoritarian leaders, including in Beijing, that they can get what they want by force.
According to the newspaper, Stoltenberg emphasized that the events in Europe and North America are interconnected with other regions, and that the alliance wants to help deal with global threats by expanding the partnership in Asia.
Seoul is said to be the NATO Secretary General's first stop on a trip that will include Japan and is aimed at strengthening ties with U.S. allies amid the war in Ukraine and growing competition with China.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, Stoltenberg welcomed the new arms deliveries to Ukraine, noting that this would allow Ukraine to launch offensive actions to regain territory.
Meanwhile, Ukraine intends to receive two fighter units of 12 combat aircraft from its international allies.
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