Pence Floats South Korean Interceptors for Ukraine in Bid to Repair US Ties

Former Vice President Mike Pence said South Korea could provide missile interceptor systems to the US for redeployment to Ukraine, offering a way to address America’s shortage of air-defense missiles as Russia intensifies ballistic missile attacks. He argued such a move could also help repair strains in the US-South Korea relationship tied to support issues involving Iran.

Pence, who visited Kyiv, told CNN on Aug. 23 that he discussed gaps in Ukraine’s air defenses with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He said Ukrainian forces have fought Russia to a stalemate on the front line since the invasion, while using innovations in drone warfare to strike targets inside Russia and sink ships in the Black Sea. In his view, Ukraine is winning the war.

At the same time, he said Ukraine has become more vulnerable as Russia steps up ballistic missile attacks and Kyiv lacks enough interceptor systems such as Patriot and THAAD. “As winter approaches, Ukraine is going to face a serious vulnerability,” Pence said. He was referring to the difficulty of supplying enough interceptor missiles to Ukraine as US air-defense stockpiles have been strained by the situation involving Iran.

Pence said Zelenskiy had asked the US for only a small share of its Patriot inventory. “If we got just 5% of Patriot stockpiles, we believe that would be enough to get us through the winter,” he quoted Zelenskiy as saying. He added that other US allies may also be able to help. “South Korea has very sophisticated interceptors, and there were several exchanges with President Zelenskiy and South Korea this week,” he said.

The remarks appeared to refer to Zelenskiy’s recent request for South Korean air-defense support. Pence said President Lee Jae-myung could go a step further by providing interceptor missiles that the US could deploy in the Middle East, Ukraine or with European allies. Politico reported that ties between Washington and Seoul have deteriorated sharply after President Donald Trump publicly said Lee had refused support related to Iran, ordered a substantial reduction in joint US-South Korea military drills and suggested the possibility of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Pence’s comments suggested that if South Korea provides missiles, it could start rebuilding a stronger relationship with the US, Politico said.

Kim Dong-hyun, Hankyung.com reporter 3code@hankyung.com