Russia and China on Monday (07/02/2022) opposed what they called
unilateral sanctions against Russia, which were imposed over the Ukraine
conflict without the support of the UN Security Council.
"Only Security Council sanctions are valid," Russia's deputy ambassador to
the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy was quoted as saying by AFP. He added that such
sanctions were "an important tool for reacting to global challenges."
Without mentioning Ukraine, which the West fears will be invaded by
Russia, Polyanskiy denounced "unilateral" actions that undermine peace
efforts and interfere with state sovereignty, such as in Syria, Belarus,
Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Afghanistan, Burma, and Mali.
Meanwhile, China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said, "Coercive unilateral
sanctions are a major source of concern." Zhang added that the countries
that initiated it were ensnared like a drug and urged them to stop it
immediately.
As for the sanctions, which have the backing of the UN Security Council,
Zhang said they should not be applied excessively.
Referring to the UN sanctions against China's ally North Korea, Zhang said
they have serious humanitarian consequences.
However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield
insisted North Korea's dire economic situation was the country's own
fault.
"The number one barrier to sending humanitarian aid to the DPRK (North
Korea) is the DPRK's own border closures, not international sanctions,"
Thomas-Greenfield said.
North Korea is living under a self-imposed coronavirus blockade, a measure
far more comprehensive than any international sanctions imposed for its
nuclear program.
Russia and China have long sought to ease UN sanctions on North Korea, and
recently blocked efforts to impose sanctions after a series of missile
launches.
UN sanctions are currently in place against 14 regimes around the world,
affecting countries such as Libya, Yemen, Sudan and militant groups such
as Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
