Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looks out from his car window as he arrives for the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday (Pool Photo via AP) ANKARA, Turkey — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, in their first in-person meeting since Lee took office.Zelensky was one of only a handful of leaders with whom Lee held separate bilateral talks during the summit, alongside the leaders of Norway, the Netherlands and Romania, as support for Ukraine remained a central item on the alliance’s agenda.The meeting came as South Korea and Ukraine confront a growing common security challenge arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and North Korea’s subsequent military support for Moscow, including the deployment of thousands of troops and weapons supplies.North Korea’s involvement in the war has also created a new diplomatic issue for Seoul and Kyiv: the fate of two North Korean prisoners of war whose capture by Ukrainian forces was publicly disclosed in January 2025.The issue has drawn growing attention in South Korea over whether they will be allowed to resettle in South Korea in accordance with their own free will. The South Korean government has said the two North Korean POWs have expressed wishes to settle in South Korea.The matter was discussed during talks in Seoul on June 30 between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Sybiha's vist was the first by a Ukrainian foreign minister in 11 years.At the time, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said the two sides agreed to seek a solution “consistent with international law and humanitarian principles while respecting the free will of the individuals concerned.”The Lee-Zelensky meeting also followed South Korea’s pledge to provide additional $100 million in comprehensive assistance to Ukraine, which Cheong Wa Dae described as “demonstrating South Korea’s commitment to international peace and security through concrete action.”But the question of arms support remains a sticking point between Seoul and Kyiv.Despite expanding humanitarian, reconstruction and financial assistance, Seoul has maintained its longstanding policy of not providing lethal weapons to Ukraine, despite repeated calls from Kyiv for South Korea to help strengthen its military capabilities.Asked whether South Korea would consider joining NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURLor provide lethal weapons indirectly, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said Seoul’s position on military assistance to Ukraine remains unchanged.“Our position on support for Ukraine remains unchanged. We do not provide lethal weapons, and we are preparing assistance in a range of other areas,” the official said.PURL is a NATO-style support mechanism under which Ukraine identifies the weapons it needs and allies finance the purchase of US-made arms.The Lee-Zelensky meeting came more than a year after both leaders were invited to the 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, but did not hold a bilateral meeting. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) holds talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, on the sidelines of this year's North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit. (Yonhap) Lee also held one-on-one talks Wednesday with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.“President Lee expressed hope for expanding practical cooperation in a range of sectors, including renewable energy, shipbuilding and maritime industries, and defense,” senior presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a statement.“President Lee said he hopes cooperation in advanced defense technologies and the defense industry will be further strengthened on the basis of Norway’s longstanding trust in Korean weapons systems,” Kang said.Norway has expanded its procurement of South Korean K9 howitzers over the years.More recently, Hanwha Aerospace announced that it had signed a $922 million contract with the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency in January for a full Chunmoo rocket artillery package, including 16 launchers, guided missiles and logistical support.Store welcomed Lee’s proposal, saying he hoped cooperation between the two countries would continue to expand across a broad range of sectors, including maritime affairs and energy, according to Kang.“Prime Minister Store also expressed hope that bilateral relations could be elevated to a new level by strengthening cooperation in the two countries’ priority areas,” Kang said.The two leaders further “agreed to continue leader-level communication, including by pursuing mutual visits at a mutually convenient time,” according to Kang.During the meeting, Lee noted that South Korea and Norway have developed “a very deep relationship in which we help each other across a wide range of areas, including the economy, industry, culture and defense.”“With the international situation remaining highly unstable, there are clear limits to what individual countries can do on their own to overcome these challenges,” Lee told Store in his opening remarks. “At times like these, cooperation and exchanges among countries become even more important.”