North Korea Thanks Russia... and Why!

The North Korean ambassador to the United Nations expressed gratitude to Russia on Thursday for using its veto power to end the UN oversight of sanctions imposed on his country. Kim Sung stated that Pyongyang "greatly appreciates the Russian Federation's use of the veto" to prevent the renewal of the mandate of the independent expert committee "as an independent exercise of the right to international justice and neutrality." During a discussion session in the General Assembly, which typically follows any use of the veto, Kim criticized what he called the "shameful hostile policy" pursued by the United States, which tramples on North Korea's sovereignty and its right to development and existence. North Korea has been under sanctions from the UN Security Council since 2006 due to its nuclear program, but Russia and China have been trying since 2019 to convince the Security Council to ease these sanctions, which have no expiration date. In late March, Russia used its veto against the extension of the mandate of the independent expert committee responsible for monitoring the sanctions, while China abstained from voting.