Pence proposes South Korean interceptors for Ukraine

Mike Pence, who served as vice president in Donald Trump’s first administration, argued on the 23rd for the indirect deployment of South Korean-made interceptors to Ukraine, which faces Russian ballistic missile attacks, via the U.S. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently mentioned North Korea’s troop reinforcements and stated,

 “We hope to receive support from South Korea in the field of air defense systems, where we are lacking,” adding,

 “Although there are legal constraints, we expect such cooperation and diplomatic authorities are in contact.” 

 Pence, who is visiting Kyiv, Ukraine, appeared on CNN on the same day and said, “As winter approaches, Ukraine will face serious vulnerabilities.” 

This pointed to the severity of the situation where Ukraine is not receiving sufficient interceptors due to the U.S. exhausting its air defense missile stockpiles amid the Iran situation. 

However, when asked if Ukraine is suffering damage because the U.S. has depleted its Patriot missiles and emptied its arsenals, Pence said, “I don’t see it that way,” aligning with President Trump’s stance. Pence mentioned that Zelenskyy requested the U.S.,

 “If you provide just 5% of your Patriot stockpiles, I believe that alone would be enough to survive the winter,” and added, “But I think there could be opportunities for other (U.S.) allies.

 South Korea possesses highly sophisticated interceptors, and there have been several exchanges between President Zelenskyy and South Korea this week.”

 This refers to Zelenskyy’s recent request for air defense support from South Korea. Pence stated, 

“This could be an opportunity for President Lee Jae Myung to take a step further and provide those interceptors so that the U.S. can deploy them in the Middle East, Ukraine, or European allies.”

 ~ msn.com