No agreement on North Korea sanctions: Russia

The United Nations Security Council holds an emergency meeting at the UN headquarters in New York City, regarding the situation on the Korean Peninsula, July 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Russia says no agreement has been reached among the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on a draft resolution against North Korea.

Referring to reports that the United States may have gotten China on board on a draft sanctions resolution, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said no consensus had been reached among all permanent members.

“Even if there is an agreement between the US and China, it doesn’t mean there is an agreement between the P5 members,” said Nebenzia said, referring to the permanent five members of the UNSC. “Maybe there is a bilateral agreement [between Beijing and Washington], but that’s not a universal one.”

Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN Vladimir Safronkov arrives for an emergency meeting of the Security Council at Un headquarters in New York City, July 5, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The permanent members of the UNSC, all of whom wield a veto power, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US.

The US has been insistent on a resolution of sanctions to be passed at the UNSC against North Korea over its missile and military nuclear programs.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Sunday that Washington was “done talking about North Korea,” and media reported that a resolution drafted for slapping fresh international sanctions on Pyongyang had been readied.

Pyongyang said on Saturday that it had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the second in a month.

Relations between the US and Russia recently took a turn for the worse when Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow over alleged attempts to disrupt the 2016 US presidential election.

Some analysts say Russia, which has its own reservations about a nuclear-armed North Korea and is often in agreement with China on international affairs, may now oppose a US sanctions resolution against Pyongyang because of the recent strain in relations with America.

Earlier, the US had said it had been waiting for the approval of China — North Korea’s biggest ally — for a resolution against Pyongyang.

However, Haley later acknowledged that gaining Moscow’s consent to join others would be the “true test” for a consensus.

China’s UN Ambassador Liu Jieyi told media on Thursday, “We have been working very hard for some time and we certainly hope that this is going to be a consensus resolution.”

Nebenzia met with Liu earlier on Thursday and discussed a possible resolution.