Russia has vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme.
Russia’s change of stance on the monitoring, which it repeatedly agreed to in the past, prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine, in violation of the U.N. sanctions.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations but vowed last year to deepen military relations.
North Korea has been under UN sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes since 2006 and those measures have been strengthened over the years.
The panel of independent experts has monitored those UN sanctions for the past 15 years, reporting twice a year to the security council and recommending action for improved implementation of the measures.
While Russia vetoed the vote, China abstained and the remaining 13 council members voted in favor of the vote.
Before the vote, Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia questioned the monitoring panel’s work.
He said, “Its work is increasingly being reduced to playing into the hands of western approaches, reprinting biased information and analysing newspaper headlines and poor quality photos.”
Nebenzia also told the Security Council before the vote that Western nations are trying to “strangle” North Korea and that sanctions have proven “irrelevant” and “detached from reality” in reining in the country’s nuclear program.
The Security Council resolution would have extended the mandate of the panel of experts for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operation.
Nonetheless, the U.N. sanctions against North Korea still remain in force.
The mandate for the current panel of experts will expire on April 30, 2024.
The panel’s most recent report was made public earlier this month and said it was investigating dozens of suspected cyber-attacks by North Korea that raked in $3bn to help it further develop its nuclear weapons programme.
Reacting to the veto, the UK’s UN Ambassador, Barbara Woodward, stated, “The panel, through its work to expose sanctions non-compliance, was an inconvenience for Russia.”
“But let me be clear to Russia – the sanctions regime remains in place and the UK remains committed to holding DPRK to account for its compliance,” she added.
For the past several years the UN security council has been divided over how to deal with Pyongyang.
Russia and China, both veto power wielders, have said that more sanctions will not help and want such measures to be eased.
China and Russia say joint military drills by the US and South Korea provoke Pyongyang, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more sanctions.
Attempt To Silence Independent Investigations
U.S. Deputy Ambassador, Robert Wood told the council after the vote that Russia’s veto was nothing more than “the attempt by one council member to silence the independent objective investigations” into North Korea’s sanctions violations.
“Moscow has undermined the prospect of the peaceful, diplomatic resolution of one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear proliferation issues,” Wood added.
The White House called Russia’s veto of the renewal of North Korea sanctions monitors a “reckless action” that “further undermines” the UN security council’s actions on North Korea.
White House national security Spokesman, John Kirby told reporters, “The international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression.”
South Korea’s UN Ambassador, Joonkook Hwang said of Russia’s veto of the renewal of North Korea sanctions monitors, “This is almost comparable to destroying a CCTV to avoid being caught red-handed.”
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