Russia warns Seoul's NATO tilt could harm ties

Seoul's drift toward NATO could seriously damage ties with Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko warned in an interview with TASS on Saturday.

Moscow is concerned about the Republic of Korea's (ROK) growing alignment with NATO, Rudenko said, citing the country's role in facilitating rearmament for NATO states by supplying weapons to Kiev.

"We consistently convey to the ROK side through various channels Russia's principled position on the unacceptability of its involvement in direct or indirect transfers of lethal weapons to the Kiev regime," he said. "Otherwise, bilateral relations could be seriously damaged, and we will be forced to take retaliatory measures."

"Despite the significant degradation of political dialogue and practical cooperation between Russia and ROK due to the unfriendly actions of the previous authorities, we have managed to keep our relations from complete collapse," Rudenko added.

Noting a marked softening in the rhetoric of the current ROK administration towards Russia, he said Seoul's declarations of good intentions have yet to be matched by concrete steps to normalize trade and economic relations.