MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2023) South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday as part of a surprise visit to Kiev to show support and discuss providing aid in multiple areas, South Korean media reported.
Yoon arrived in Ukraine following his three-day visit to Poland and met with Zelenskyy at the presidential palace in Kiev to discuss areas where Seoul can provide additional assistance to Ukraine. Following the meeting, Yoon said that both sides agreed on South Korea providing a comprehensive package of security, humanitarian, reconstruction aid, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.
"We are preparing comprehensive and concrete measures for assistance and cooperation between Ukraine and South Korea in keeping with the principles South Korea has maintained so far," a presidential official told reporters, commenting on the visit.
At the same time, a source familiar with the matter told Sputnik that the visit was planned long before, but one should not expect any breakthrough agreements as a result of the meeting between the presidents.
"I heard about a month or so ago that the visit was being worked on in extreme secrecy," the source said.
The source added that the meeting was unlikely to result in an agreement on direct arms deliveries. The parties are likely to discuss possible areas of humanitarian aid and Seoul's participation in projects to restore the Ukrainian infrastructure, they added.
Before visiting Ukraine, Yoon held a meeting in Poland with South Korean entrepreneurs from 11 large companies, who were seeking to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction, and promised to support their plans, noting the country's experience of rebuilding after the Korean War.
During the meeting, South Korean Land Minister Won Hee-ryong spoke in detail about the government's plans to support the business community's efforts to rebuild Ukraine, while entrepreneurs shared information on current business conditions in Ukraine.
