The UN Security Council on Thursday strongly condemned North Korea’s latest missile test and threatened to impose new sanctions against Pyongyang for its “highly destabilizing behavior.”
In a unanimous statement, the council demanded that North Korea “conduct no further nuclear tests” and said Pyongyang’s “illegal missile activities” were “greatly increasing tension in the region and beyond.”
Meanwhile, Russia has derailed the UN Security Council statement that would which condemend .
The statement, which was tabled by the US, would also tell North Korea not to conduct further nuclear tests. It has conducted five so far, and last week analysts warned that the country’s nuclear test site was “primed and ready” for a sixth.
Instead, North Korea tested a missile Sunday, which was said to have failed, provoking more calls for the country to cease its hostile acts.
UN diplomats said the proposed statement of condemnation had consensus from the other 14 Council members, including China, North Korea’s biggest ally and a Council permanent member.
Russia has a long record of vetoing resolutions pushed by the US. Last week, it used its veto power to block an attempt to condemn the killing of dozens of people in a suspected Syrian chemical attack. In that instance, China abstained.