US and allies clash with Russia and China over North Korea at UN meeting

The US, Britain, France confronted Russia at the United Nations Security Council on Friday over accusations it is violating an arms embargo on North Korea by using missiles and munitions from Pyongyang in its war against Ukraine.

Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia rejected the accusations as “completely false”. The council meeting came after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact last week with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in which they agreed to provide military assistance if either faces armed aggression.

The United States also called out China on Friday, saying it should use its influence with North Korea and Russia to protect regional and global security and end “this increasingly dangerous military cooperation” between the pair.

“I appeal to my Chinese colleagues to understand that if indeed the situation on the Korean peninsula continues on the trajectory it’s going, the United States and its allies will have to take steps to defend their security,” deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood told the council, without elaborating.

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China strongly rejected a US accusation that it was emboldening North Korea by not condemning Russia’s actions.

“The current situation on the Korean peninsula continues to be tense. How did this come about?” said China’s deputy UN ambassador, Geng Shuang. “The US should reflect deeply especially on its own actions instead of blaming others and shirking its own responsibility as it habitually does.”

China and Russia say joint military drills by the United States and South Korea provoke Pyongyang, while Washington accuses Beijing and Moscow of emboldening North Korea by shielding it from more UN