Chatham House: Russian veto will embolden North Korea as direct oil supplies begin

Russia's veto ending UN monitoring of sanctions on North Korea will further embolden Pyongyang, Edward Howell argues in a Chatham House commentary published on 8 April. He writes that North Korean tankers delivered oil products from Russia's Far East to the North Korean city of Chongjin in March, in breach of UN resolution 2397. According to the analysis, direct Russian supplies let Pyongyang spend more on its nuclear and missile programmes rather than relying on costlier oil smuggling networks. The piece also notes that South Korea's coast guard intercepted an unflagged ship in the East China Sea in early April on suspicion of carrying sanctioned goods from North Korea to Russia.

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