SEOUL: South Korea and the European Union leaders agreed to increase pressure on Russia over its war on Ukraine and condemn North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.
According to Voice of America, President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol met with European Council President Charles Michel and President of European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Seoul after the three leaders attended the Group of Seven (G7) weekend summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
“We agree to maintain and raise the collective pressure on Russia, particularly through effective implementation of the respective restrictive measures,” they said in a joint statement. “We are committed to supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and remain resolved to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Michel said Russia’s continued attacks against Ukraine show that deeper collaborations between the EU and South Korea are “not a luxury. It’s a vital necessity.”
All three leaders called on North Korea to cease actions that raised military tensions and return to nuclear disarmament talks.
Von der Leyen said, “The EU would never accept [North Korea’s] possession of nuclear arms as the normal state of affairs, just like we don’t accept Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.”
Yoon said all three leaders recognised that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes pose a threat beyond the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has launched about a hundred missiles since the start of 2022, several nuclear-capable weapons that place the United States mainland and South Korea within striking distance. Experts say North Korea believes its expanded weapons arsenal would help it wrest concessions from its rivals.
At the G-7 summit, the leaders of Japan, the United States, the UK, Germany, France, Canada and Italy and the EU condemned Russia’s invasion and reiterated their support for Ukraine. They demanded that North Korea refrain from any destabilizing or escalatory actions.
