As Pyongyang is supplying munitions to Russia in its war against Ukraine, the United Nations has observed this and passed a resolution to revoke the investigations into North Korea for violating the sanctions imposed by the Security Council. On Thursday, Russia vetoed this resolution to protect North Korea.
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean supreme leader, has sped up his ballistic missile program.
A lot of tests are being conducted on developing long-range intercontinental ballistic missile systems that can easily reach the US region. Russia has always backed North Korea in the sanctions being imposed on it internationally or by the United Nations for the possession and manufacture of illegal weapons, but now, due to the Russia-Ukraine war, relations between the United States and Russia are very low.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has started to depend more on North Korea due to the acute shortage of ammunition. On the other hand, Russian support from the United Nations would be a lot of help to North Korea.
Vassily Nebenzia, who is the Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, argued in the security council that the sanction imposed by the UN on North Korea is “losing its relevance and is detached from reality,” as it strangles North Korea and affects the national security of Russia. The UN imposed sanctions that prohibit any country from transferring.
Ammunition to or from North Korea. North Korea has become a major contributor of supplying weapons to Russia during the Russia-Ukraine war and is producing millions of armaments to supply them to Russia.
North Korean-built ballistic missiles were found in the debris of attacks done in Ukraine. In the Security Council, where the resolution against North Korea was being passed, out of the 15 members who were the participants present there, 13 were in favor of investigations by North Korea for the violation of sanctions imposed on it.
But as Russia held the veto power, the resolution failed. Barbara Woodward, who is the ambassador of Britain to the United Nations, declared the decision of Russia’s veto as “Deeply concerned.”
Weapons while explaining this to the Security Council, Woodward said, “This veto does not demonstrate concern for the North Korean people or the efficacy of sanctions… It is about Russia gaining the freedom to evade and breach sanctions in pursuit of weapons to be used against Ukraine. This veto undermines the panel’s work, the integrity of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, and this Council’s credibility in upholding UN Security Council resolutions.” He also said that the penalists “played a vital role in constraining” North Korea in the last decade.
Robert Wood, the US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, objected to the Russian decision to veto and said, “You silenced the panel of experts today, but you will never silence those in favor of a nonproliferation regime.” The comment from the Foreign Minister to the Ministry of South Korea also called this an “irresponsible” decision by Russia.
