Russia says that major powers need a new approach to North Korea, accusing the United States and its allies of ratchetting up military tensions in Asia and seeking to "strangle" the reclusive state.

Moscow

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Russia has called for a new strategy in dealing with North Korea, emphasizing the need for major powers to revise their current approach. The country accused the United States and its allies of escalating military tensions in Asia. Specifically, Russia criticized the actions aimed at "strangling" North Korea, suggesting that these tactics are counterproductive.

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Russia says big powers need to stop 'strangling' N. Korea

Russia said on Friday that major powers should stop strangling North Korea. The comment came after Russia vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles programs. Three former members of the panel told Reuters that this points to a grim future for the sanctions enforcement. According to the UN, North Korea is the only country to have conducted tests in the 21st century. Moscow's veto underscores the dividend that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has earned by moving closer to President Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine. It also illustrates just how far the conflict has undermined big power cooperation on other major global issues. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the United States was stoking military tensions in Asia. She added that international restrictions had not improved the security situation and that there were severe humanitarian consequences for the population of North Korea. Russia said the experts' work was neither objective nor impartial and that they had turned into a tool of the West. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday that it was deeply disappointed at Russia's veto. Moscow appears to be intent on facilitating the DPRK's illegal pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and its veto today was a self-interested effort to bury the panel's reporting on its own collusion with the DPRK to secure weapons that it can use to further its aggression against Ukraine. Since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has gone out of its way to parade a renaissance of its relationship with Pyongyang, including its military ties with a reclusive state. Washington says North Korea has supplied Russia with missiles that it is using against Ukraine. Those assertions have been dismissed by the Kremlin and Pyongyang.

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Rafah

Israel-Gaza War

Israel 'gearing up' for Rafah ground offensive

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Jerusalem

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Council of the City of Sydney

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London

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Paris

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Beirut

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Doha

Ukraine Invasion

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Geographe

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Kokoda

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