President Lee Jae Myung (center) and first lady Kim Hea-kyung (right) of South Korea speak to US President Donald Trump during a welcome banquet held at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026. (pool photo)
In their first-ever summit on Wednesday, Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to resolve the issue of two North Korean soldiers currently detained in Ukraine while respecting international law and the POWs’ wishes.In a welcome banquet on Tuesday hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife, Lee spoke with US President Donald Trump about Trump’s request for Korea to help build US warships.Lee, who is visiting Turkey to attend the NATO summit, held a summit with Zelenskyy at a hotel in Ankara. After the summit, Blue House spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters that the two leaders had “agreed to resolve the North Korean POW issue in a manner that complies with international law and humanitarian principles while respecting the wishes of the individuals concerned.”The two North Korean POWs, who were deployed to Russia and then captured by Ukrainian forces, want to defect to South Korea.Lee and Zelenskyy also agreed that Korea would take part in the postwar reconstruction of Ukraine.“President Lee explained that he’d seen the NATO summit as an opportunity to pledge US$100 million in wide-ranging support for Ukraine. Our government emphasized that while continuing to provide the humanitarian support needed by the Ukrainian people, we will also participate in international initiatives to restore and rebuild Ukraine,” Kang said.In a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday, Lee pledged US$100 million worth of assistance for rebuilding Ukraine.A senior Blue House official told reporters on the same day that Korea will continue to provide aid in a range of areas not including lethal weaponry.Kang said that on Tuesday, Lee and Trump discussed the US president’s request for help with the construction of naval vessels. The spokesperson said that Lee had promised full cooperation with the project and introduced some of Korea’s top shipbuilding firms.“The two leaders agreed to continue technical discussions to review the details,” Kang said.The two leaders also agreed to have Lee visit the US at an appropriate time and to play a round of golf during his visit.In addition to his summit with the Ukrainian president, Lee also played salesman for the Korean defense industry in a series of bilateral meetings on Wednesday with the leaders of NATO member states such as Norway and Romania.On Tuesday, Lee and Rutte agreed to initiate talks on a basic procurement agreement between Korea and NATO.“This agreement, if reached, will pave the way for Korean companies to take part in NATO’s joint procurement market, which is expected to be worth 15 trillion won a year,” Wi Sung-lac, the Blue House director of national security, told reporters on the trip.By Seo Young-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
