Russia Opposes UN Security Council Statement Condemning North Korea

Russia opposed the draft statement from the United Nations Security Council condemning North Korea's recent missile test. Security Council statements must be agreed upon by all 15 members, but Reuters reported on Thursday, citing diplomatic sources, that Russia opposed the statement because it referred to North Korea's test missile as an intercontinental ballistic missile. On Tuesday, July 4, North Korea conducted a test launch of a ballistic missile, which is said to be the country's first intercontinental missile. Pyongyang announced that the missile traveled a distance of 933 kilometers, and U.S. military analysts believe it could target the state of Alaska in the U.S. However, Russia believes it was a medium-range ballistic missile. Meanwhile, the Russian representative at the UN Security Council sent an email to representatives of other member countries stating, "To clarify, based on our Defense Ministry's assessments, we cannot confirm that this missile was of the intercontinental type." He added, "Therefore, since there is no consensus on this issue, we are not in a position to agree with this classification on behalf of all Security Council members." The UN Security Council held a meeting on Wednesday regarding North Korea's missile test at the request of the United States. North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 due to its missile activities and nuclear program, and the U.S. considers Tuesday's test a violation of UN resolutions. Washington has called for global action against Pyongyang and emphasized that it will use military options if necessary, while Russia and China state that military options against North Korea are unacceptable.