“Russia’s actions today cynically undermined international peace and security, all to achieve the corrupt deal Moscow made with the DPRK,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name. .
Earlier on Thursday, Moscow blocked the renewal of the UN expert group monitoring the application of international sanctions against North Korea. The decision came weeks after Russia said it was investigating reports of arms transfers between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Moscow’s veto did not lift any sanctions on North Korea, but blocked the renewal of the annual mandate of a panel of experts that monitors sanctions enforcement and certain alleged violations.
The panel’s mandate will expire at the end of April.
Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to increasingly stringent UN Security Council sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
However, since 2019, Russia and China have been trying to persuade the UN Security Council to ease sanctions against Pyongyang.
On Thursday, China’s deputy ambassador, Geng Shuang, said the sanctions against Pyongyang “have increased tensions and confrontations and had a major negative impact on the humanitarian situation.”
However, unlike Russia, China refrained from vetoing it.
Russian Ambassador Vasiliy Nebenzia stated that without an annual review, which would guarantee the evaluation of the sanctions and their possible change, the activity of the expert group is unfounded.
“The panel of experts has continued to focus on trivial issues that are not relevant to the problems facing the peninsula,” he said.
“Russia called on the Council to decide on an open and fair review of the Council’s sanctions.” […] every year,” added V. Nebenzia.
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