Ambassador of Ukraine
Dmytro Ponomarenko, in an interview with “Donga ilbo,” discussed the role of South Korea in the reconstruction of Ukraine and the prospects for achieving peace in Ukraine.
Key comments:
- The experience, expertise and capabilities of the Republic of Korea in matters related to the reconstruction of infrastructure and economic development are renowned all over the world and invaluable for Ukraine.
- Ukraine is ready to provide the most lucrative conditions for reconstruction-related investment. Currently, we are prioritizing five areas: recovery of the energy sector, reconstruction of residential buildings and critical infrastructure, humanitarian demining and IT.
- As Ukraine is on the path to the European Union, it can become a production base for Korean companies to enter the European market.
- We still hope the Republic of Korea will review its approaches to military support of Ukraine and lift the ban on the export of lethal weapons. If Seoul is not ready to provide offensive weapons at the time being, the first step towards reviewing the principles of interaction could be the transfer of South Korean-made air defence systems, radars, and anti-drone systems.
- We hope that the Republic of Korea will participate in our international initiatives, such as ‘
Bring Kids Back.’
- The combat tactics, drone warfare strategies and battlefield survival skills the DPRK troops acquire in Ukraine will be taken back to North Korea and integrated into their military. This poses a direct security threat to the Indo-Pacific region.
- We proceed from the position that any proposal to restore peace must be grounded on two main elements:
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- nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine;
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- they should be based on the UN Charter and include respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within internationally recognized borders.