China and Russia vetoed tougher sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations Security Council on Thursday. The additional sanctions were requested by the United States in response to three missile tests the communist country recently conducted. The other members of the Security Council supported the US resolution.
The proposal contained a number of sanctions. For example, the amount of oil that North Korea is allowed to import would be limited. It also included sanctions against hacker collective Lazarus, which is affiliated with the North Korean regime.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield called it a “disappointing day” for the Security Council. At the same time, the Sino-Russian veto was expected. China is a close ally of North Korea and relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated due to the Russian war in Ukraine.
Both China and Russia said they would rather see a non-binding Security Council statement condemning the missile tests than introducing new sanctions.