BY TYLER DURDEN
WEDNESDAY, APR 12, 2023 – 02:45 PM
In a move that could help the US government supply Ukraine with ammunition, South Korea has agreed to lend the Pentagon 500,000 155mm artillery shells, Reuters reports, citing a South Korean newspaper.
As the Pentagon relentlessly pours weapons and ammunition into its Ukraine proxy war against Russia, the American arsenal has been rapidly depleted, to the point that the Biden administration is going around begging to buy or "borrow" ammo from other countries.
The United States has given Ukraine more than a million 155mm shells. The Korean deal will provide some relief to US stockpiles and thus the Ukrainian supply chain, but apparently came after significant hand-wringing in Seoul.
While the The Wall Street Journal couldn’t authenticate the documents, the paper said "they contain enough detail to give them credibility." If legitimate, they include detailed accounts of March 1 discussions among South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s most senior aides.
The officials were wary that selling ammunition to the United States would violate South Korea’s policy against sending arms to countries at war. The New York Times reported that, according to the leaked documents, Korean officials also feared provoking Russia, as Seoul is looking to Moscow for help in moderating North Korean belligerence.