NATO Sec-Gen Urges SoKor To Export Weapons Directly To Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday asked South Korea to reconsider its rule on not exporting weapons to countries in conflict so it could help arm Ukraine in repelling Russia’s invasion, Brad Lendon reported for CNN.

Photo Insert: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

“I urge the Republic of Korea to continue and to step up the specific issue of military support,” he said in a question and answer session after a speech to the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul.

“Several NATO allies who had as a policy never to export weapons to countries in conflict have changed that policy now,” Stoltenberg said, citing Germany, Norway and NATO applicant Sweden as those which have changed their arms export policies to help Ukraine.

“After the brutal invasion of Ukraine, these countries changed their policy because they realized that when you are facing a brutal invasion where a big power – Russia – invades another one in a blatant way as we have seen in Ukraine, if we believe in freedom, if we believe in democracy, if we don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, then they need weapons. When the full-fledged invasion happened last year, many countries changed their policy because they realized that the only way to stand up for democracy, to help Ukraine prevail, and to create the conditions for a lasting peace was to deliver military support,” Stoltenberg said.

Military aid for Ukraine received a big boost last week when Germany said it would send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, while also permitting other countries that possess the Leopards, including Norway, to supply them.

The Leopard 2 is a next-generation tank that is both agile and quick, despite being equipped with advanced protective armor and long-range firepower. It is considered among the best in the world and superior to anything Russia has deployed in Ukraine.

In addition to the Leopards, Ukraine is set to receive heavy armor from both the United States, which is sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks and the United Kingdom, which has pledged 14 Challenger tanks.

Some experts say the South Korean K2 Panther is also in that group of top tanks and could be useful for Ukraine.

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