Russia and China block new UN sanctions against 5 North Koreans

Russia and China have blocked the UN Security Council from imposing sanctions on five North Korean officials in response to Pyongyang’s recent ballistic missile tests, a move criticized by the US seeking to impose sanctions for his role in the Village’s missile program.

During Thursday’s council meeting on the North’s four ballistic missile launches in the past two weeks, the United States called on all 15 council members to approve a brief press release reminding that such launches violate resolutions. of the council and strongly urging Pyongyang to comply with the council’s obligations “and to engage in a dialogue towards denuclearization”. Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because the council meeting was closed, said China, a neighbor and ally of North Korea, opposed any statement.

Before the meeting began, US Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield read a statement to reporters from eight countries calling North Korea’s “unlawful behavior a threat to international peace and security”.