Russia warns of retaliation against Japan and South Korea

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Photo: AFP).

At a press conference today, December 27, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that if Japan provides Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, this move will have "serious consequences" for Russia-Japan relations.

"The Japanese side lost control of the weapons, and now Washington can do whatever it wants. It is not excluded that the Patriot missiles will be transferred to Ukraine," she said.

Last week, Japanese officials confirmed that the country had agreed to supply Patriot missiles to the United States, marking the first time the country had exported lethal weapons since World War II.

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces Patriot missiles under license from US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The Japanese Foreign Ministry stressed that the missile deal will further strengthen the Japan-US alliance.

Although Japan's new export regulations do not allow arms exports to countries in a state of war, Japan's move could indirectly support Ukraine by helping the US restore its depleted arsenal after two years of aid to Kiev.

Ms. Zakharova warned that Russia would "consider such a scenario as a hostile act against Russia and lead to serious consequences for Japan-Russia bilateral relations".

Relations between Russia and Japan have become significantly strained after Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. Japan, along with its Western allies, has imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

Earlier this month, Japan and South Korea jointly scrambled military aircraft to shadow Russian and Chinese bombers and fighter jets operating near their airspace.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also warned today of retaliation against South Korea after the Asian country announced plans to restrict exports of goods to Russia.

During the press conference, Ms. Zakharova emphasized that South Korea should not be surprised if Russia responds to Seoul's expansion of the list of restricted export goods.

"This is an unfriendly move made at Washington's request. It will damage the South Korean economy and industry. We reserve the right to take retaliatory measures, and they do not have to be proportional. They should not be surprised if we do so," Zakharova said.

This week, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea announced that it will add 682 types of goods to the list of goods subject to export controls to Russia and Belarus from 2024. These goods include heavy construction equipment, batteries, aviation components and some cars.

Accordingly, Korean enterprises are not allowed to export these items to Russia and Belarus without special approval from competent authorities.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-canh-bao-tra-dua-nhat-ban-va-han-quoc-20231227205502397.htm