South Korea moves closer to Russia amid diplomatic conflict with Ukraine — FT

South Korea is gradually restoring economic and diplomatic contacts with Russia, while its relations with Ukraine are experiencing a serious aggravation. According to media reports, Seoul continues to interact with Moscow despite the war against Ukraine and Russia’s military cooperation with North Korea. Such a policy is causing concern among European diplomats.

This is reported by the Financial Times.

South Korea supplied Russia with hundreds of thousands of tons of fuel

According to the Financial Times, during the presidency of Lee Jae-myung, South Korea began to gradually intensify its interaction with Russia.

One of the most significant areas of cooperation was the supply of petroleum products.

In particular, during July and August 2026 alone, more than 176 thousand tons of fuel, mainly diesel, were sent from South Korea to Russia.

According to the publication, part of the transportation was carried out by tankers that are under sanctions.

At the same time, official Seoul denies accusations of fuel supplies to Russia and claims there are no direct exports.

Kyiv said that the supplies helped Russia overcome the fuel shortage

Ukraine is particularly concerned by the fact that the supplies of petroleum products took place against the backdrop of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.

The Ukrainian presidential commissioner for sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, said that the corresponding supplies helped Moscow alleviate the fuel shortage.

This is about the shortage of petroleum products that arose after the attacks on Russian refineries.

Thus, the issue of fuel exports acquires not only economic but also security significance, as it concerns Russia’s ability to meet its own needs in wartime.

Seoul and Moscow continue closed negotiations

According to the Financial Times, the interaction between South Korea and Russia is not limited to trade relations.

Representatives of the two states continue to hold closed diplomatic negotiations.

In addition, politician Song Yong-gil was appointed as an advisor to the South Korean president on peace diplomacy.

He had previously received the Order of Friendship from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

European diplomats fear that Seoul may be preparing the ground for a broader restoration of economic relations with Moscow after the end of the war against Ukraine.

In their opinion, in such a scenario, South Korea’s economic interests may outweigh the policy of solidarity with Ukraine.

Why have relations between Ukraine and South Korea deteriorated

The diplomatic escalation between Kyiv and Seoul is connected with the dispute over the disclosure of information about North Korean prisoners of war.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, announced the transfer of two prisoners of war from the DPRK to South Korea.

The South Korean side regarded the publication of the relevant information as a violation of confidentiality agreements.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon stressed that the issue of repatriating North Korean servicemen is extremely sensitive.

According to him, it could have consequences for diplomatic relations, national security, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Amid the dispute, Seoul recalled its ambassador from Ukraine and reduced its diplomatic presence in the country, media reports say.

South Korea criticizes government policy toward Ukraine

The rapprochement with Russia and the deterioration of relations with Ukraine have also drawn criticism within South Korea.

In particular, Na Kyung-won, a representative of the opposition People Power party, accused the government of aggravating relations with Kyiv while not being sufficiently critical of Moscow and Pyongyang.

In her opinion, such a policy could serve the interests of Russia and North Korea.

The politician also announced her intention to write a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

What is known about North Korean prisoners of war

In January 2025, it became known that the Ukrainian military had captured two North Korean servicemen who were fighting on the side of Russia in the Kursk region.

Despite their injuries, the prisoners were taken to Kyiv.

At the time, the Ukrainian side stated that it did not plan to return them to Russia or the DPRK.

The issue of the future fate of the prisoners of war has become one of the sensitive aspects of relations between Ukraine and South Korea.

Currently, the situation around the diplomatic conflict remains tense. At the same time, reports of the resumption of contacts between Seoul and Moscow raise concerns about the possible weakening of Russia’s international isolation and the effectiveness of sanctions pressure.