South Korea claims that diesel deliveries to Russia are not prohibited

Uadvisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week said that these diesel supplies to Russia go “clearly against” South Korea’s sanctions policy, which considered the statements to be “actually incorrect” and “inadequate”.

The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs today indicated that diesel, even if it came from South Korea, would not violate export bans.

The British newspaper The Guardian revealed this week that 176,000 tons of products, “mainly diesel”, had been sent from South Korea to Russia in July and August, citing port records and ship tracking data.

“ Refined petroleum products, including commercial diesel and aviation fuel, mentioned in the Guardian article, are not subject to the export controls of South Korea against Russia,” the South Korean Ministry stressed, stressing that global exports to Moscow have fallen by less than half since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“It has not been proven that South Korean fuels, including diesel, have been exported to Russia,” he added.

According to the Guardian, three of the seven tankers that have been loaded in South Korean ports are subject to sanctions.

The South Korean Ministry indicated that it is carrying out “additional verifications” on the routes taken by those ships in order to determine whether national laws have been infringed.

Relations between Seoul and Kiev have been tense since Zelensky revealed in September that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces had been sent to South Korea. Seoul stated that Kiev had violated a confidentiality agreement on the subject.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, North Korea has become a key ally of the Kremlin, sending soldiers to support Moscow's war effort in exchange for economic advantages and military technologies.