No agreement on North Korea sanctions: Russia

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.”

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.

SS