UNITED NATIONS, March 28. /TASS/. The involvement of the US nuclear potential in military exercises around North Korea affects Russia’s interests, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said during a Security Council meeting.

"Of particular concern is the increasingly blatant involvement of Washington’s nuclear potential in the allied maneuvers. Such dangerous development in the region affects Russia’s core national security interests," he said.

Nebenzya noted the militarization of the region with direct involvement of Washington and other NATO member states, "located tens of thousands of kilometers away from North Korea."

"In this context, it is obvious that, in the past years, sanctions failed to contribute to the achievement of the goals, set by the international community, and have not led to normalization of the situation around the peninsula. This situation does not encourage dialogue, especially after Washington demonstrated unfair play for the entire world to see," the Russian diplomat concluded.

On March 28, Russia used veto power to block the US draft resolution on extension of the mandate of the UN Security Council 1718 Sanctions Committee that monitors the implementation of sanctions against North Korea.

The Resolution 1718 was adopted by the UN Security Council in response to a nuclear test in North Korea. The sanctions prohibited shipment, sale or handover of any military vehicles, weapons, materials, equipment, goods and technologies that could be used in North Korean weapons of mass destruction programs. After that, the Security Council adopted several more resolution tightening the sanctions against North Korea.