MOSCOW – Russia will oppose a US request to the UN Security Council toblacklist two Russian shipping firms and six Russian-flagged vessels overtheir dealings with sanctions-hit North Korea, the Russian ambassador saidThursday.
The United States presented a request to a UN sanctions committee onWednesday — its third bid in two months to seek UN action and turn up thepressure on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear and missile programs.
The request was put forward a day after Washington slapped unilateralsanctions on the two Russian companies — Primorye Maritime Logistics andGudzon Shipping — and the six vessels for supplying oil to North Korea inviolation of UN sanctions.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told AFP that the US sanctions were”illegal” and that the evidence put forward by the United States to justifyaction against the Russian firms was “unconvincing.”
“Of course we will oppose it,” said Nebenzia of the US request to thesanctions committee. “It’s obvious.”
The United States was seeking a global assets freeze on the two Russianfirms, according to UN diplomats.
The shippers own a tanker, the M/V Patriot, which conducted ship-to-shiptransfers of oil to North Korean tankers twice earlier this year, accordingto US officials.
The five other vessels cited in the US request are owned by Gudzon, whichalong with Primorye Maritime Logistics operate out of the Russian port cityof Vladivostok.
The UN sanctions committee has until August 29 to formally consider the USrequest, but Russia made clear it would not be approved.
– US wants “maximum pressure” –
Russia and China this month blocked a US bid to add a Russian bank, a NorthKorean official and two entities to the UN sanctions blacklist. In July,they delayed a US request to cut off fuel deliveries to North Korea.
The two countries have called on the Security Council to consider easingsanctions to reward North Korea for opening up dialogue with the UnitedStates and halting missile tests.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier announced he will be making hisfourth trip to North Korea next week, this time with the new US envoy forNorth Korea, Stephen Biegun.
The United States has called for maintaining “maximum pressure” fromsanctions until North Korea has fully dismantled its nuclear and ballisticmissile programs.
A report by a UN panel of experts this month warned that Pyongyang wascircumventing sanctions through a “massive increase” of ship-to-shiptransfers of oil products in international waters.
The Security Council last year adopted three rafts of sanctions that bannedexports of North Korea’s raw commodities and other goods, and severelyrestricted imports including crucial deliveries of oil.
The sanctions are aimed at cutting off sources of revenue for North Korea’smilitary programs. APP/AFP