Weapons purchased from South Korea are for Poland's security and defense, not Ukraine's

Polish President Andrzej Duda said his government had rejected Ukraine's request to transfer weapons that Warsaw had purchased from South Korea.

Polish President Andrzej Duda (left) and Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan (second from left) attend an event at Hanwha Aerospace Co.'s operations base in Changwon, South Korea, on Oct. 25. (Source: Yonhap)

In a statement on October 26, Mr. Duda affirmed: “There is no scenario under consideration in which we would transfer weapons purchased for billions of PNL from the pockets of Polish taxpayers to anyone. Those weapons are for the security and defense of Poland.”

President Duda also stressed that even if Seoul agrees to transfer weapons to Kiev, those weapons will “not come from the stockpiles allocated to Poland.”

On the final day of his four-day state visit to South Korea, President Duda toured Hanwha Aerospace, which manufactures the K9 self-propelled howitzer, and Hyundai Rotem, which makes the K2 tank. Both are based in Changwon, about 400 kilometers southeast of the capital Seoul.

Earlier, during a summit with Mr. Duda on October 24, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that Seoul could provide weapons to Ukraine, depending on the level of military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

Mr. Yoon also pledged to support South Korea's efforts to sign an additional deal with Poland worth an estimated $7 billion to supply K2 tanks.

In 2022, Poland signed major defense contracts with South Korea worth about $12.4 billion to purchase K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled guns, FA-50 light attack aircraft and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers to boost its military capabilities amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Following initial agreements, Warsaw signed a $2.67 billion deal to buy K9 artillery in December 2023 and a $1.64 billion deal to buy Chunmoo missile systems in April 2024./.

Regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha in Cairo on October 26, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reiterated his call for efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis.

Mr. Abdelatty urged the parties involved to sit down at the negotiating table to seek a political solution to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Egypt is Ukraine's leading trading partner in Africa and the Middle East, Foreign Minister Abdelatty said, adding that Cairo relies on wheat imports from the Eastern European country to meet a significant portion of its strategic grain needs.

The diplomat stressed the importance of enhancing scientific, cultural and educational cooperation between the two countries. The two countries are hoping to increase bilateral trade turnover to 2 billion USD.

For his part, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha sent an invitation to Egypt to participate in the planned second Ukraine Peace Summit.

Before the press conference, both foreign ministers also discussed regional issues including the dire situation in the Middle East, amid Israel's military operations in Gaza, Lebanon and the recent Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military bases and missile sites in response to Tehran's ballistic missile attack earlier in October.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Abdelatty said Cairo condemns any form of escalation that could lead to a full-scale war in the Middle East. He said it was necessary to stop Israeli military actions against Lebanon and the Gaza Strip and ensure aid access to Gaza.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister condemned the acts of violence, highlighting the importance of protecting civilians and reaching a solution based on international legitimacy and the two-state solution. He also expressed his appreciation for Cairo's efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.

Ukraine's top diplomat stressed Kiev's openness to deepening cooperation with the North African country and launched a Business Council between the two countries.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, both foreign ministers also attended the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in diplomatic training and deepen understanding and exchange of knowledge on diplomatic activities and policies.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-andrzej-duda-vu-khi-mua-tu-han-quoc-de-phuc-vu-cho-an-ninh-va-quoc-defense-cua-ba-lan-khong-phai-ukraine-291543.html