North Korea received oil from Russia in excess of the UN limit

Russia is secretly supplying petroleum products to North Korea in volumes that appear to exceed the limit set by UN sanctions against Pyongyang. This was stated by US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby, reports Reuters.

Supplies from Russia have already led to the fact that North Korea’s imports exceeded the limit set by the UN Security Council of 500 thousand barrels per year, the agency notes

According to Kirby, in March Russia supplied the DPRK with more than 165 thousand barrels of petroleum products. He added that Washington will continue to impose sanctions “against those who facilitate the supply of weapons and oil products between Russia and the DPRK.”

At the end of March, at the UN Security Council, Russia blocked the extension of the mandate of experts monitoring compliance with sanctions imposed on the DPRK for its nuclear program. The mandate of the expert group expired on April 30.

A number of Security Council members, including the United States and Great Britain, noted that the Russian veto is associated with attempts to circumvent Security Council sanctions and the purchase of weapons from the DPRK, which are then used in the war against Ukraine. Moscow and Pyongyang reject such accusations.