Russia supplies North Korea with a large amount of refined crude oil. The move was announced after Russia vetoed the renewal of the mandate of the UN panel of experts overseeing compliance with sanctions on North Korea, Reuters reported.
According to the US official, Russia has already exceeded the annual import limit of 500,000 barrels of refined crude oil allowed to North Korea with shipments from the port of Vostochny. He emphasized that
More than 165,000 barrels of oil were shipped in March alone, and he warned that trade relations between Russia and North Korea could keep these shipments going due to small geographic distances.
In response, the United States plans to impose new sanctions on entities that facilitate arms and oil trade between Russia and North Korea. The US official also reminded that they had previously coordinated sanctions with their international partners, such as Australia, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.
The report also noted that North Korea supports Russia in its conflict with Ukraine by supplying it with ballistic missiles.
Source: Reuters
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