On March 28, Russia vetoed a UN resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Panel of Experts (PoE), which monitors UN member states’ enforcement of the UN sanctions regime on North Korea.
Among the 15 countries currently sitting on the UN Security Council (including South Korea and Japan), Russia was the only country that rejected the annual renewal. China abstained. Russia’s veto will effectively end the mandate for the PoE, which expires at the end of April 2024.
Q1: Why is Russia’s veto significant?
A1: Russia’s veto is arguably the third step in a systematic effort to undermine the UN sanctions regime on North Korea. Russia previously had supported the most robust sanctions regime in history against North Korea through its agreement to 10 UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) on North Korea. Moscow now has (1) stopped complying with sanctions mandated by these UNSCRs and (2) actively blocked new UNSCRs in response to North Korean ballistic missile tests. Most importantly, it appears to be embarking on new steps to (3) permanently dismantle this regime by ending the mandate of the PoE with yesterday’s veto as well as calling for a “sunset clause” for the existing sanctions regime.
With the Russian veto, the PoE’s mandate expires at the end of April 2024. Established under UNSCR 1874 after North Korea conducted a second nuclear test in 2009, the PoE—made up of a group of seven experts—has monitored the enforcement of international sanctions on North Korea over the past 14 years. Among the subjects of their monitoring investigation have been North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, including nuclear activities in Yongbyon; arms embargos; and, most recently, 58 suspected cyberattacks on cryptocurrency companies.
Q2: Why is Russia doing this?
A2: Russia’s actions reflect deeper strategic cooperation with Pyongyang that has emerged as a result of North Korean support for Putin’s war in Ukraine. CSIS reports show that North Korea has supplied more than 10,000 containers of military equipment and munitions to fill three major storage depots near the front lines of the war, which could amount to more than 3 million rounds of ammunition (according to the U.S. State Department and South Korean Ministry of Defense). North Korea is preparing for a likely reciprocal visit by Putin after Kim Jong-un’s visit last year. And in the latest sign of growing cooperation, the Russian head of the foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, met with counterparts in Pyongyang. Concerns abound that Russia may be dropping “long-held non-proliferation norms” with North Korea by supplying sensitive military technologies related to satellites, nuclear submarines, and long-range ballistic missiles in return for North Korean shipments of ammunition. There is also the possibility of co-production arrangements on new munitions to restore North Korean stocks as well as supply more and better ammunition to Russia.
From Putin’s perspective, there is little reason not to support Pyongyang at the UN Security Council in order to continue Russia and North Korea’s mutually beneficial cooperation and gain a decisive advantage in the war when U.S. military aid to Ukraine is stalled in Congress.
Q3: What are the implications of the Russian veto?
A3: Absent the PoE, UN member states will lack a third party that monitors compliance and closes loopholes in the current sanctions regime. It falls on key member states like the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and other like-minded partners to coordinate intelligence, counter-proliferation efforts, and relevant legislation to enforce sanctions policy. Without Russian or Chinese compliance, this is a tall order.
India’s economy will become carbon neutral by the year 2070, the country’s prime minster has announced at the COP26 climate crisis summit in Glasgow. The target date is two decades beyond what scientists say is needed to avert catastrophic climate impacts. India is the last of the world’s major carbon polluters to announce a net-zero target, with China saying it would reach that goal in 2060, and the United States and the European Union aiming for 2050.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
China's carbon emissions are vast and growing, dwarfing those of other countries. Experts agree that without big reductions in China's emissions, the world cannot win the fight against climate change. In 2020, China's President Xi Jinping said his country would aim for its emissions to reach their highest point before 2030 and for carbon neutrality before 2060. His statement has now been confirmed as China's official position ahead of the COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow. But China has not said exactly how these goals will be achieved.
A crucial U.N. conference heard calls on its first day for the world's major economies to keep their promises of financial help to address the climate crisis, while big polluters India and Brazil made new commitments to cut emissions. World leaders, environmental experts and activists all pleaded for decisive action to halt the global warming which threatens the future of the planet at the start of the two-week COP26 summit in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Monday. The task facing negotiators was made even more daunting by the failure of the Group of 20 major industrial nations to agree ambitious new commitments at the weekend.