Ukraine crisis causes delay in S. Korea,-U.S.-Japan talks to arrange defense ministerial meeting: official

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- The armed conflict in Ukraine has led to a delay in talks among South Korea, the United States and Japan to arrange their in-person defense ministerial meeting, a Seoul official said Thursday.

The three countries have been in talks to set up a meeting among Defense Minister Suh Wook and his U.S. and Japanese counterparts, Lloyd Austin and Nobuo Kishi, in line with an agreement at their phone talks last month to meet face-to-face at a "mutually agreed-upon" date.

The three defense chiefs have been trying to meet in an apparent move to highlight their cooperation in countering North Korea's military threats in the wake of a series of its weapons tests, including Sunday's ballistic missile test.

"There has been a bit of delay in the consultations due to various international situations," the official at Seoul's defense ministry told reporters on condition of anonymity. "A final date has yet to be fixed."

Expectations have lingered that Suh, Austin and Kishi would gather in Hawaii this month. But the raging conflict in Ukraine following Russia's invasion last week has raised uncertainties over the prospects of the trilateral talks.

Washington has been striving to rally its Asian allies and other partners to join its campaign to jointly confront current and future security challenges, including an increasingly assertive China.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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