Japan's Cabinet Secretary on Friday (29/3) spoke out against Russia's veto at the UN.
Russia's veto on Thursday (28/3) ended monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program. The veto prompted Western accusations that Moscow was trying to avoid scrutiny because it allegedly violated sanctions by buying weapons from Pyongyang for its war in Ukraine.
Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Russia's decision was “very regrettable,” and ignored the UN and multilateralism.
Russia's shift in attitude toward UN monitoring reflects how Moscow's growing hostility to the United States and its Western allies, since the start of the war in Ukraine, has made it difficult to reach consensus even on long-standing issues.
The veto came during a vote on a UN Security Council resolution that would extend the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea for one year. The current mandate will expire at the end of April.
The council vote of 13 in favor, Russia against and China abstaining had no impact on the actual sanctions on North Korea, which are still in effect.
Russia has never tried to obstruct the work of the expert panel, which has been updated annually by the UN Security Council for 14 years and reflects global opposition to North Korea's expanding nuclear weapons program. (lt/ab)