South Korea can supply Ukraine with weapons by lifting the moratorium on providing lethal assistance to a warring country.
Bloomberg writes that if some of Seoul’s vast stockpile of artillery shells begins to flow directly to Kyiv, along with Pyongyang’s supplies to Russia, it would involve the world’s two largest artillery forces in the conflict.
Russia’s decision to bring in North Korean troops to bolster its depleted forces has made Ukraine’s allies realize they have few options for responding without further escalating the conflict.
On Monday, October 28, in Brussels, senior South Korean officials will brief NATO and EU officials on North Korea’s plans to send up to 10,000 troops to Russia. Over the weekend, US President Joe Biden told reporters:
We have options, it all depends on what they do.
The choice of response could divide the United States and its allies. They will have to decide whether to respond with escalation to the North Korean move, which officials say marks a turning point in the military conflict in Ukraine. The confrontation is becoming more global and more and more external players are participating in it.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on social media in early October that a French idea floated earlier this year to send Western personnel to Ukraine “should be reconsidered, better late than never.”
Another option for the United States would be to remove the restriction on Ukraine from launching long-range strikes on Russian territory. But it will force a look at what used to be a red line for the Biden team.
The allies’ calculations also include the fact that modern North Korean troops have never seen actual combat. This potentially limits their effectiveness in assisting Russia.
Another option could be related to ongoing NATO discussions about allowing allies to defend Ukrainian airspace from border countries such as Poland and Romania, a person familiar with the discussions said.
The United States and Europe should have taken more active action soon after North Korea began helping Russia with missiles, one official said. In addition, the allies are unlikely to be able to make any important decisions on the US elections on November 5, the source added.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.