Rep. Song Young-gil, a six-term lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and special aide to President Lee Jae Myung, said Wednesday that the war in Ukraine is on the verge of ending.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "almost at his breaking point," said Song, who serves as Lee's special adviser for peace and diplomacy.
"In the end, (Zelenskyy) will end up seeking a compromise (with Russia)," Song also said, adding South Korea should explore opportunities for peaceful reconstruction projects in Ukraine and Russia.
The Ukraine war is far from sustainable, Song claimed, as the country receives no troop support from either the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the United States, while young Ukrainian people are dying on the battlefield.
"What is happening now is that NATO and US forces are not sending their troops to the war front (in Ukraine)," he said.
"What they do is send weapons. ... There are no NATO soldiers who fight for Ukraine risking their lives, so I doubt the war in Ukraine would be sustainable."
Song made the comments at a parliamentary forum in Seoul to discuss ways to restore ties between Seoul and Moscow in the aftermath of the Ukraine war that broke out in 2022.
Signs of Seoul's political strain with Kyiv erupted after Zelenskyy revealed the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war from Ukraine to South Korea, which Seoul maintains was arranged with an agreement to keep undisclosed.
Regarding South Korea's ties with Russia, Song said South Korea's goal is to maintain good relations with both Europe and Russia, which "presents a dilemma."
He also touted "positive sentiment" between the peoples of South Korea and Russia. Song went on to say that while Seoul has not actively supported Ukraine, few substantive changes have been made to improve ties between South Korea and Russia.
Also, Rep. Kim Joon-hyung of the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, who also spoke at the forum, said Moscow is "building up its cynicism toward Seoul," as no progress has been made to restore its ties with Moscow.
Kim called for a break from "rigidity" in South Korea's foreign policy to find a breakthrough in its relations with Russia.
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