Russia again threatens retaliation if South Korea aids Ukraine, second warning in a month

[Financial News] Russia, which has been invading Ukraine for more than four years, has again threatened South Korea with retaliation if it joins a program to supply weapons to Ukraine, repeating a warning first issued last month.
According to the TASS Russian News Agency, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on the 18th (local time), "We are closely monitoring South Korea's moves to take part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 'Ukraine First Support List (PURL).'" She added, "We would like to avoid a situation in which our bilateral relations are negatively affected, but if South Korea changes its existing position on this issue by taking part, such consequences will be inevitable."
The Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) is a NATO framework set up in July 2025 to coordinate support for Ukraine. Under PURL, Ukraine presents a list of needed equipment, NATO member states and partner countries provide the funds to the United States, and the United States then delivers the corresponding equipment to Ukraine.
Most NATO member states, as well as Australia and New Zealand, are currently participating, and Japan has recently announced its intention to join.
The South Korean government said in an announcement last month that it had received a request from NATO to participate and is continuing consultations on various forms of support. However, Seoul is limiting its review to humanitarian aid and non-lethal military supplies, excluding lethal weapons.
Zakharova also told the TASS Russian News Agency on the 20th of last month that if South Korea joins PURL, "we will have no choice but to exercise our right to take retaliatory measures, including asymmetric steps." At the time, she stressed, "I would like to reiterate that South Korea's participation in such supplies, whether directly or indirectly and in any form, would only delay prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine."
Last month, Zakharova said she was surprised by media reports about South Korea possibly joining PURL, explaining, "Such a move would not be consistent with this country's official line of not taking part in Western efforts to pour weapons and ammunition into the Ukrainian armed forces." She went on to emphasize, "South Korean officials have repeatedly stated this position."
pjw@fnnews.com Park Jong-won Reporter