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US accuses Russia and China of ‘shamelessly’ shielding North Korea

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US accuses Russia and China of ‘shamelessly’ shielding North Korea

The United States on Monday called out Russia and China at the United Nations Security Council for “shamelessly protecting” and emboldening North Korea to further violate UN sanctions as Pyongyang pledged to accelerate building up its “nuclear force”.

“Russia and China have shamelessly protected Pyongyang from any reprisal, or even condemnation of its actions,” said deputy US ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.

“Shielded from closer scrutiny of its sanctions-violating activities by Moscow and Beijing, Pyongyang, unsurprisingly, has been emboldened to continue advancing its unlawful ballistic missile, nuclear and WMD programmes,” he said, using the acronym for weapons of mass destruction.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: Pool / AFP / Getty Images / TNS
The 15-member council was meeting over Pyongyang’s test launch on Thursday of an intercontinental ballistic missile. Wood said Russia and China had prevented the council from issuing a statement of condemnation, a move that needs consensus.

North Korea’s UN ambassador Kim Song told the Security Council that Pyongyang would accelerate the build-up of its nuclear force to “counter any threat presented by hostile nuclear weapons states”.

“The nuclear threat of United States against DPRK has already reached critical point in terms of its scale and danger,” Kim said. “Due to reckless moves of the United States, the potential situation is approaching the brink of war.” DPRK is the acronym for the country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions since 2006, and the measures have been steadily strengthened over the years with the aim of halting Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

China’ UN ambassador Fu Cong speaks during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on October 16. Photo: Reuters
China’ UN ambassador Fu Cong speaks during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on October 16. Photo: Reuters
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