United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated on Friday (June 21) that Russia must adhere to the UN sanctions against North Korea. Earlier this week, North Korea and Russia signed a security agreement, agreeing to provide military assistance immediately in the event of armed aggression against either party.
The United States and South Korea have repeatedly accused Pyongyang of transferring weapons to Russia for use in invading Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied these allegations.
Diplomats told Reuters that at the request of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan, the UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the issue of North Korea on June 28. These countries hope to discuss Pyongyang’s violation of Security Council resolutions regarding weapon transfers.
Since 2006, North Korea has been under UN sanctions due to its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“The Security Council has approved sanctions against North Korea,” Guterres said on Friday. “Countries that establish relationships with North Korea, including the Russian Federation, must fully comply with these sanctions.”
The Russian mission to the United Nations declined to comment on Guterres’ remarks.
In recent years, there have been disagreements among the 15 member states of the Security Council on how to handle the issue of Pyongyang. China and Russia have expressed that more sanctions are not effective and have proposed easing these measures. They suggested lifting some sanctions in December 2019 but have never put their draft resolution to a vote.
In May 2022, China and Russia vetoed a proposal led by the United States. The proposal aimed to push for further sanctions by the United Nations against North Korea for its ballistic missile launches.
In March of this year, Russia vetoed the renewal of the panel of experts monitoring the enforcement of UN sanctions.
Before the panel of experts was disbanded at the end of April, three of its members traveled to Ukraine and confirmed in a report submitted to the Security Council that a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on January 2 came from North Korea and was a Hwasong 11 ballistic missile manufactured by the country.
China and Russia argue that US-South Korea joint military exercises have provoked Pyongyang. The US, on the other hand, accuses China and Russia of shielding North Korea from further sanctions, emboldening Pyongyang’s reckless behavior.
(*Based on relevant reports from Reuters)