Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked South Korea to change its policy and to supply him with weapons to fight the Russians.

“There can be no hope that Russia will just stop itself.

“We need air defence systems, we need aircraft, tanks, other armoured technology, artillery systems and ammunition,’’ he said in an address shown on television in Ukraine and South Korea.

The president appealed to both South Korea and the international community.

He said that he believed tens of thousands of people had been killed by Russians just in the besieged port city of Mariupol alone, a number higher than the “thousands’’ spoken of by other Ukrainian officials.

In his roughly 15-minute address to members of the National Assembly, Mr Zelenskyy thanked South Korea for the support it had provided so far, but said that South Korea had refused to supply weapons.

This position was reiterated by Defence Minister, Suh Wook, in a telephone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov on Friday.

The national news agency Yonhap reported on Monday, citing the Defence Ministry in Seoul.

In March, South Korea sent bullet-proof helmets, tents and blankets as well as medical supplies.

South Korea was also participating in international economic sanctions against Russia.

South Korea views Russia as playing an important role in the efforts to settle the dispute over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.

(dpa/NAN)