Beijing and Moscow block tougher sanctions, accusing the U.S. of escalating tensions.
China and Russia have once again vetoed a U.S.-backed United Nations Security Council resolution seeking harsher sanctions against North Korea following a series of ballistic missile launches.
The resolution called for restrictions on oil exports and the freezing of foreign assets linked to Pyongyang’s missile program. While 12 members voted in favor, both Beijing and Moscow accused Washington of “provoking” the North and escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the veto “a green light for Kim Jong-un’s aggression.” In response, China’s envoy warned that the resolution lacked “balance” and risked pushing North Korea further toward military confrontation.
The diplomatic stalemate comes as North Korea grows bolder, recently test-firing its first intercontinental hypersonic missile and threatening “military retaliation” if sanctions intensify.
Experts say the veto signals deepening polarization within the Council and underscores how global rivalries are eroding collective diplomacy.
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