Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that both Russia and China have firmly stated their opposition to any re-imposition of sanctions on North Korea.
"Since the last resolution was adopted [in 2017], we have firmly said that there will be no more sanctions against North Korea. Our Chinese partners have taken the same position," the minister noted.
Lavrov emphasized that the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang were established "in a profoundly distinct geopolitical context," marked by "challenges in fostering dialogue and intense debates within the UN Security Council.''
The top diplomat attributed Moscow's paradigm shift to false promises by Western countries to pursue political and humanitarian avenues to address the North Korean issue.
"Alongside the measures taken by the UN Security Council, all Western colleagues promised to move in parallel on the political track and solve humanitarian issues. This was another lie: we [Russians], the Chinese and the North Koreans were deceived," Lavrov remarked.
The minister added that, as a result of Western deception, Moscow and Beijing refrained from passing another sanctions' resolution in May 2022. Instead, they joined forces to create a resolution that addresses humanitarian concerns and encourages the revival of the political process, with the ultimate goal of establishing security in Northeast Asia.
However, Lavrov pointed out that numerous countries - the US, South Korea, Japan, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand - are not only supplying weapons to the region but also relocating vital components of their strategic forces to the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
"Their flat refusal to engage in any political measures puts an end to any further attempts to sneak a sanctions' resolution through the Security Council," the head of Russian diplomacy concluded.
Lavrov's remarks come amid North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to Russia, where he held one-on-one talks with President Vladimir Putin.