The U.S. administration under Joe Biden emphasized that South Korea is an ally under the U.S. defense commitment in response to Russia's indication of retaliation against South Korea for its possibility of providing weapons support to Ukraine.
John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC), stated during a White House briefing on the 20th (local time) in response to a question about threats from Russia, including Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Russian Presidential Office, toward South Korea, "We want to remind that we are treaty allies with South Korea and take that commitment very, very seriously."
Coordinator Kirby expressed gratitude for President Yoon Suk-yeol's mention of the possibility of weapons support, saying, "We appreciate that South Korea has already provided $100 million worth of humanitarian aid to Ukraine." He also thanked South Korea for publicly condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier, Russian officials including spokesperson Peskov threatened that if South Korea supplies weapons to Ukraine, Russia might also provide weapons to North Korea.
The Biden administration also expressed anticipation for President Yoon's upcoming state visit to the U.S. next week. Coordinator Kirby said, "The two leaders will discuss various challenges related not only to the Indo-Pacific but also to Europe and Ukraine." On the same day, Vedant Patel, Senior Spokesperson for the State Department, avoided directly answering a question about whether the issue of leaked classified documents would be raised during President Yoon's visit, stating, "I will not speculate." He added, "South Korea is an important regional partner, and we look forward to the state visit next week."
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