Russia vetoed on Thursday a UN Security Council resolution to extend the mandate of a panel of experts monitoring North Korea.

The resolution would have extended the Panel of Experts assisting Sanctions Committee on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s mandate until April 30, 2025. It would also have requested the panel to submit a confidential midterm report before August 23, 2024. Without the extension, the panel’s “credible, fact-based and independent investigations” of North Korea’s unlawful weapons programs will be blocked, according to the US representative to the UN.

Before casting the veto, Russian representative Vasily Nebenzya criticized the unilateral sanctions and restrictions imposed by “a coalition of Western countries led by the USA to strangle Pyongyang.” He blamed the “active militarisation” of North Korea on the threats and actions by the NATO alliance. According to Nebenzya, the extension undermines the very possibility of resolution in the future.

This concerned was shared by the representative of China, who mentioned that increasing sanctions and highlighting pressure would be counterproductive.

Shortly after the vote, the US, together with France, Japan, South Korea and the UK, released a joint statement. In it, the countries wrote, “We will continue to call on the Security Council to fulfill its primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security.” The countries called upon the remainder of the Security Council to “work towards our shared goal for [North Korea] to abandon all nuclear weapons, other weapons of mass destruction, and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”

The Panel was established in 2006 to assist the Sanctions Committee pursuant to Resolution 1718, which was supported by both Russia and China. Among other things, the committee is responsible for monitoring North Korea’s nuclear program and coordinating sanction efforts.

Despite the failure to extend the mandate of the panel, previous UN resolutions and sanctions remain in effect. Russia strongly urged the Security Council to update the sanctions regime, while the US stressed the need for all member states to abide by their obligations to sanction North Korea.