WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and seven other nations on Wednesday accused Russia of exploiting its position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council by acquiring North Korean missiles and firing them into Ukraine in violation of Council resolutions.
“A permanent Security Council member that willingly engages in these violations demonstrates a clear exploitation of its position,” said the statement by permanent Council members Britain, France and the United States, nonpermanent members Malta, Slovenia and South Korea as well as Japan and Ukraine.
The White House last week said Russia recently used short-range ballistic missiles sourced from North Korea to conduct multiple strikes against Ukraine, citing newly declassified intelligence. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied conducting any arms deals but vowed last year to deepen military relations.
Russia recently has launched some of its most intense strikes on Ukraine since it invaded almost two years ago.
“It’s abhorrent that a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council is flagrantly violating Council resolutions to attack another U.N. member state, violations that further the suffering of the Ukrainian people, support Russia’s brutal war, and undermine the global nonproliferation regime,” Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the Council.
(Reporting By Jonathan Landay in Washington and and Arshad Mohammed in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Editing by Franklin Paul and Matthew Lewis)
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