SEOUL: President of the European Council Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to visit Seoul today (Monday) for a summit with President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol.
According to Arab News, The European leaders, who have attended the G7 summit in Hiroshima, are visiting the East Asian country for negotiations on issues including trade agreements, the war in Ukraine, and North Korea’s banned weapons programmes.
The European Council said, “South Korea and EU are expected to express their strong joint help for upholding the rules-based international order.”
South Korea, the globe’s ninth-largest arms exporter, has sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and sold advance tanks and howitzers to Poland, a key ally for Kyiv as it battles Russia’s invasion. It has a long-standing policy of not providing arms to active conflict zones.
Yoon held talks with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7, following a meeting with Zelensky’s wife, Olena Zelenska, in Seoul last week.
According to South Korea’s presidential office, during his meeting with President Zelensky in Hiroshima, Yoon promised additional non-lethal aid to Ukraine, including demining advanced equipment and ambulances, at the request of the Ukrainian president.
Yoon’s office said the visit by EU leaders would be an “opportunity to strengthen practical cooperation in the fields of health, economy, science, and technology and deepen cooperation on regional and world issues.”
