Washington, D.C. – The United States has strongly condemned Russia’s claim of not violating international sanctions imposed on North Korea, accusing Moscow of facilitating illegal arms transfers from Pyongyang.
In a statement to VOA’s Korean Service, a State Department spokesperson said, “The U.S. and its allies have successfully exposed Russia’s actions in violating U.N. Security Council Resolutions. It is unfortunate that a permanent member of the Security Council is openly defying sanctions and supporting the regime of Kim Jong Un.”
The spokesperson continued, “We urge North Korea and Russia to cease all illegal arms transfers and take concrete steps towards abandoning their nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and related programs.” DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.
These comments were made in response to Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia’s denial of violating North Korea sanctions during a press conference on Monday.
“We are not violating the North Korea sanctions regime and all of those allegations are baseless without any supporting evidence,” Nebenzia said.
The Russian ambassador went on to question the credibility of a now-disbanded U.N. panel of experts responsible for monitoring North Korea sanctions. Russia vetoed the extension of the panel’s annual mandate at the U.N. Security Council in March.
Nebenzia claimed that the panel of experts became involved in politics at the encouragement of certain countries, stating that “this was a major mistake on their part.”
“The sanctions regime against North Korea is unprecedented in the United Nations. It does not have a set timeline and there are no provisions for review. This cannot be tolerated,” Nebenzia added.
Russia’s decision to not renew the expert panel’s annual mandate marks a significant change from its previous support of U.N. Resolution 1718, which imposed an arms embargo on North Korea by banning the import and export of most weapons and related material.
The resolution was unanimously passed by the U.N. Security Council in October 2006, just days after North Korea’s first nuclear test.
This exchange between the U.S. and Russia comes as Russia has been strengthening its military ties with North Korea. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during their summit in Pyongyang.
In recent months, the U.S. has repeatedly raised concerns about Russia’s alleged violations of international sanctions, accusing Moscow of aiding North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction.
During a briefing in May, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby shared specific figures of the refined oil Russia has provided to North Korea this year, stating that it has already exceeded the limit set by the U.N. Security Council.
“Russia has been shipping refined petroleum to North Korea. Russian shipments have already pushed North Korean inputs above the limits mandated by the U.N. Security Council. In March alone, Russia shipped over 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea,” Kirby said.
In October of last year, the White House released three satellite images showing containers being moved by ships and trains, claiming that North Korea had provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and ammunition.
Experts in Washington believe that the standoff between the U.S. and Russia over North Korea will continue for some time.
Scott Snyder, President of the Korea Economic Institute of America, told VOA’s Korean Service in an email on Thursday that the recent defense pact between Moscow and Pyongyang is a situation that the U.S. cannot ignore.
“North Korea will continue to be a source of conflict in U.S.-Russia relations as long as the two maintain their strategic relationship, which will likely continue until the end of military hostilities in Ukraine,” Snyder stated.
Evans Revere, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, also expressed concerns over Russia’s support for North Korea in an email to VOA’s Korean Service on Friday.
“Russia has made it clear that it intends to oppose U.N. Security Council sanctions, work with North Korea and other countries to find ways to bypass current restrictions and strengthen its strategic and tactical coordination with North Korea,” Revere said.
“Russia, which was once a key member of the coalition supporting pressure and sanctions to address North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, has now switched sides and become the de facto protector of Pyongyang.”
In conclusion, the U.S. has firmly rejected Russia’s claim of not violating North Korea sanctions and called on Russia to stop all illegal arms
