The move comes after more than a dozen North Korean ballistic missile tests this year, all of which violated previous UN resolutions and which U.S. officials argued needed another international response.
A resolution needs nine “yes” votes and no vetoes from permanent members of Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom or the United States to be approved by the UN Security Council. The other 13 members of the Security Council voted to approve the resolution.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield denounced the vetoes by Russia and China, which had not blocked any of the nine previous sanctions votes since 2006, saying the gravity of the threat of the North Korean weapons program has not changed.
“For the first time in 15 years, a member of the UN Security Council has used a veto to prevent the council from fulfilling its responsibility to hold the DPRK (North Korea) accountable for its illegal proliferation,” he said. say the U.S. envoy in a statement made the day. on behalf of the US, Japan and South Korea.
“Today’s vetoes are dangerous. Today’s members have taken a position that not only undermines the previous action of the Security Council to which they have committed themselves, but also undermines our collective security.”
In a session at UN headquarters, Thomas-Greenfield added: “These council members have decided to protect a proliferator from facing the consequences of their actions and have shown the futility of his word by giving a explicit gesture of approval to the DPRK. “
North Korea has tested missiles at least 16 times this year, last Wednesday, when it fired three missiles. It was believed that at least one of North Korea’s tests this year was of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the Americas.
China’s ambassador to the UN argued that new sanctions on North Korea would not stop its weapons program and could instead increase its level of evidence.
The new sanctions could also increase pressure on the humanitarian situation in North Korea as it struggles with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ambassador Zhang Jun said.
Russia’s envoy also cited Covid’s situation in North Korea as the reason for his veto.
“Strengthening the pressure on sanctions on Pyongyang is not only futile, but extremely dangerous because of the humanitarian consequences of such measures,” Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Alekseevich Nebenzya said in comments of the vote.
Nebenzya said the last 15 years of sanctions pressure in North Korea had not worked.
“Many restrictive resolutions have been passed against Pyongyang since 2006, but as history has shown, the sanctions paradigm has not yet been able to ensure security in the region or solve missile problems and not nuclear proliferation, “the Russian envoy explained. dit.
Prior to the vote, both China and Russia had urged Washington to issue a presidential statement instead of presenting the draft Security Council resolution.
But Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador, said China and Russia were not even open to discussing new sanctions on Pyongyang.
“We have been circulating a draft of this resolution for nine weeks. At this time, countries vetoing this resolution have refused to participate in the text, despite our commitment to inclusion and flexibility during consultations,” he said. .