Seoul:Cheong Wa Dae has firmly denied allegations made by a Ukrainian official that South Korea supplied fuel to Russia, contradicting its own sanctions against Moscow.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the denial came from presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung following comments by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on sanctions policy. Vlasiuk claimed, based on a report in The Guardian, that over 176,000 tons of fuel were transported from South Korea to Russia using sanctioned tankers in July and August.

Vlasiuk asserted on Facebook that these alleged transactions contradicted South Korea's sanctions against Russia, suggesting that Seoul was aiding Russia in overcoming fuel shortages amid its conflict with Ukraine.

Kang responded by emphasizing that South Korea has consistently enforced sanctions and export controls against Russia in cooperation with the international community since the invasion of Ukraine. She criticized the Ukrainian official for citing unverified transactions and portraying South Korea as assisting Russia, which she stated was "different from the truth and inappropriate."

The South Korean government is in the process of verifying the facts and has expressed its intention to take necessary actions if any issues are discovered. Kang urged Ukraine to avoid distorting South Korea's policies without proper verification and making statements that could harm international trust.

An official from the presidential National Security Office clarified that trade statistics from August 2025 to August 2026 show no exports of diesel, gasoline, or jet fuel from South Korea to Russia. Furthermore, these fuels are not on the list of 1,402 items subject to South Korea's export controls concerning Russia.