Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation at the US Department of State Eliot Kang said on Thursday that Russia and China are benefiting from North Korea's "provocative behavior" and are not holding Pyongyang responsible for its military provocations because it serves their own interests.
Speaking at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies seminar, Kang noted that North Korea's 60 ballistic missiles this year, "violated a series of UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCR) that prohibit such launches."
Kang emphasized that China and Russia, who jointly hold the position of permanent members of the UN Security Council, regularly hinder efforts by the UN to address Pyongyang's missile activities. This includes "vetoing a draft resolution that would have strengthened the current UN sanctions regime," according to Kang.
