MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. The move to veto a UN Security Council resolution extending the mandate of an expert panel on North Korea sanctions is in line with Russia’s interests, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"This position is more in line with our interests," he said, when asked about the reasons behind Moscow’s decision to veto the UNSC resolution.
The Kremlin spokesman explained that Russia "does not agree with the modalities determined" in the resolution.
Earlier, Moscow exercised its veto to block a UN Security Council draft resolution submitted by the US, which extended the mandate of an expert panel at the UNSC Sanctions Committee on North Korea until April 30, 2025. Thirteen of the 15 UN Security Council members voted in favor of the document and China abstained.
Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky pointed out that Moscow would have been ready to extend the experts’ mandate had the draft resolution called for conducting "a comprehensive review of sanctions" against North Korea in a year.
The mandate of the expert panel at the UN Security Council Committee 1718 on sanctions against North Korea is expiring on April 30, 2024.