Russia supplies North Korea with oil, bypassing UN restrictions

The United States wants to impose new sanctions on Russia because Moscow is secretly selling oil products to North Korea in volumes that may violate UN Security Council restrictions.

Source: Reuters with reference to an unnamed US official, as reported by European Pravda

Details: According to the US official, Russia sent about 165,000 barrels of oil products to North Korea in March alone. Given the close proximity of Russian and North Korean commercial ports, Russia can continue these deliveries indefinitely, they said.

According to Reuters, Pyongyang is only allowed to import 500,000 barrels of refined products each year under United Nations restrictions.

The American official recalled that at the end of March, Russia blocked the renewal of the mandate of a group of experts who monitor compliance with UN sanctions against North Korea – probably to hide their own violations of Security Council resolutions.

Quote: "At the same time that Moscow vetoed the panel's mandate renewal, Russia has been shipping refined petroleum from Port Vostochny to the DPRK (North Korea)," the US official told Reuters.

They also stressed that the United States will continue to impose sanctions "against those working to facilitate arms and refined petroleum transfers between Russia and the DPRK".

The US has previously voiced concerns that the close link between the Russian Federation and North Korea may encourage DPRK leader Kim Jong-un to take risks on issues such as threats to South Korea, arms exports, and rejecting calls for negotiations on nuclear arms.

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