Seoul will review its decision on arms for Ukraine after Trump’s victory – media, the Foreign Ministry reacted to the publication of “The Times” according to which Ukraine could create a nuclear bomb in a few months, and Kryvyi Rih bid farewell to a woman and her three children killed in a Russian missile strike on November 11.
Seoul to review Ukraine arms decision after Trump win – media
Seoul may reassess the possibility of supplying weapons directly to Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the US presidential election, although no decision has yet been made, Bloomberg reports.
According to an official who wished to remain anonymous, President Yoon Suk-yeol’s government must take Trump’s position into account when determining whether to change its policy of not sending lethal aid to Kyiv. Another official said Seoul is also examining the potential impact of Trump’s policies on support for Ukraine from several countries.
Yoon’s office said the government would analyze possible scenarios for military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, and take countermeasures: “We will closely coordinate our actions with our allies and partners in this process.” »
Exporting lethal weapons to Ukraine would send a strong signal of support to Kyiv and could also benefit South Korean businesses by providing them with an opportunity to participate in Ukraine’s post-conflict reconstruction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to send an envoy to Seoul to solicit weapons and convince South Korea to reconsider its position. South Korea has significant reserves of 155mm artillery shells, widely used by Ukrainian forces.
South Korean officials have suggested that a direct supply could be considered if North Korea acquires technologies that enhance its capabilities to produce weapons of mass destruction. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not ruled out providing high-precision weapons to Kim Jong-un in response to Western military aid to Ukraine.
As a reminder, Ukrainian intelligence sources reported a first clash between Ukrainian soldiers and North Korean soldiers in the Russian region of Kursk. The Pentagon has confirmed that North Korean soldiers, who arrived in Russia for training, have started moving towards this region. According to the latest US estimates, North Korea has sent around 10,000 troops to Russia to participate in training and combat against Ukraine.
Ukrainian MFA reacts to an article in The Times concerning a possible Ukrainian nuclear bomb
Ukraine is not developing and does not intend to create a plutonium-based nuclear bomb.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi has denied a report in *The Times* claiming that Ukraine could design an elementary nuclear bomb based on plutonium if US President-elect Donald Trump suspends military aid to Kyiv. According to the article, creating such a weapon would only take a few months.
The media outlet relied on an analytical note allegedly written for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
Tykhyi stressed that Ukraine respects the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons:
“We do not possess, develop or intend to create nuclear weapons. Ukraine works closely with the IAEA and remains fully transparent with its inspections, which excludes any military use of nuclear materials,” he said.
On October 17, the German tabloid “Bild” claimed that Ukraine could restore its nuclear arsenal within weeks. Dmytro Lytvyn, a presidential adviser, denied the claims, calling them similar to Russian propaganda statements.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, said that Ukraine had never discussed plans to develop nuclear weapons.
Previously, Zelensky said that European partners had no alternative to Ukraine joining NATO. This accession constitutes the first point of its victory plan, in particular because Ukraine had renounced its nuclear arsenal when signing the Budapest memorandum.
Zelensky argued that Ukraine should join NATO, arguing that when the agreement was signed, “we gave up our nuclear weapons, and we were guaranteed security and territorial integrity.”
In Kryvyï Rih, a last tribute was paid to a woman and her three children, killed during a Russian missile strike on November 11.
In Kryvyi Rih, Thursday, November 14, a farewell ceremony took place for Olena Koulyk and her three children aged ten years, two years and two months, who died during a Russian missile strike on November 11, reports Radio Svoboda.
The ceremony took place at the House of Prayer (Salvation Church). Olena’s husband, Maksym Koulyk, the only survivor of the apartment after the strike, was present, as well as relatives, neighbors and other residents of Kryvyï Rih, reports the Svoyi media.
Relatives remember that the Koulyk family was engaged in charity work, helping orphanages and the homeless. At the time of the tragedy, 32-year-old Olena was on maternity leave.
On the morning of November 11, Russian occupiers struck Kryvyi Rih with a ballistic missile, hitting a five-story residential building, causing a section of the building to collapse.
The next day, the bodies of Olena Koulyk and her children — two-month-old Ouliana, two-year-old Demyd and ten-year-old Kyrylo — were found under the rubble.
Only their father, Maksym, Olena’s husband, survived. At the time of impact, he was in another room and fell to the floor below, saving his life.
