Russia Welcomes Reduction of South Korea-U.S. Exercises, Calls It Measure to Lower Conflict Risk

▲ U.S. military vehicles wait during a river-crossing drill by U.S. forces in Korea near the Imjin River in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 20th, ahead of the early conclusion of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS).

Russia expressed its welcome on the 20th (local time) to the early conclusion of the regular South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS).

According to TASS news agency, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a briefing when asked about her position on the scaling back of UFS, "We welcome any measures aimed at reducing the potential for conflict."

Zakharova stated that sovereign states can independently determine the scope of their joint exercises, while emphasizing, "It is important that such exercises comply with international law norms and must not be threatening or aggressive in nature."

She also added, "As a member of the Asia-Pacific region, we have repeatedly pointed out that aggressive exercises—rather than those aimed at countering common threats such as terrorism, piracy, and natural disasters—destabilize the situation, do nothing to strengthen security, and instead undermine it."

Regarding the background behind the reduction of the South Korea-U.S. exercises, Zakharova noted, "You should ask the U.S. side about the motives," adding, "Journalists should direct their inquiries to the U.S. Embassy or U.S. officials."

The UFS exercise, which began on the 17th, was originally scheduled to run until the 27th, but will end early on the 21st following instructions from U.S. President Donald Trump to scale it down.

The U.S. Department of Defense officially announced on the 18th that, following President Trump's directive, it had significantly downscaled the size of the exercises, including shortening the duration of UFS.

Previously, on the 16th, President Trump instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to significantly reduce the scale of the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, stating, "Considering that Chairman Kim Jong Un and I have a very good relationship, I do not like the fact that the U.S. has long agreed to participate in joint military exercises with South Korea."

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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