1. Minister of Foreign Affairs Chung Eui-yong had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on the morning of February 26 and shared views on issues of mutual interest such as the situation in Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula and Iran.

 °  The telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Chung and Secretary Blinken was held two weeks after their meeting in Honolulu on February 12. The two sides noted with appreciation that they had reaffirmed strong cooperation between the two countries on major current issues through the meeting.

2. Foreign Minister Chung and Secretary Blinken discussed the current situation in Ukraine in depth.

 °  The two sides strongly condemned Russia’s armed invasion against Ukraine as a violation of the principles of the UN Charter and called for Russia to immediately cease its action. The two sides underscored their unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

 °  Secretary Blinken thanked Foreign Minister Chung for the Korean government’s strong commitment to join and closely coordinate with the international community’s efforts.

3. Furthermore, the two sides shared their views on the current situation on the Korean Peninsula and agreed to continue working towards the denuclearization and establishment of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula based on a fully-coordinated strategy towards the DPRK.

4. The two sides agreed to continue close consultations on various occasions and work closely together on major regional and global issues as close allies.