The European Union and its Member States strongly condemn the use of a veto by the Russian Federation in the United Nations Security Council today blocking the extension of the mandate of the UN 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committees Panel of Experts (PoE).

The PoE was established 15 years ago as a body of experts that assist the Security Council’s 1718 Committee in monitoring the implementation of the measures imposed on the DPRK by Security Council resolutions, in order to prevent Pyongyang from further developing its dangerous and destabilizing nuclear and missiles programs. For those 15 years, the PoE has played a crucial role in providing credible, fact-based and independent assessments on the implementation of these UN decided sanctions.

The EU believes that today´s veto by the Russian Federation is an effort to conceal unlawful arms transfers between DPRK and Russia, in the context of the latter’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine. It will severely impact all UN Member States’ ability to implement UN Security Council resolutions and address the DPRK’s destabilizing actions. It similarly undermines the global non-proliferation architecture.

We call on the Russian Federation to reconsider today´s decision and to continue to cooperate with the United Nations and its Member States on the DPRK file.