A United States resolution to extend the mandate of an expert panel which monitors sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was vetoed by Russia in the Security Council on Thursday.
This in effect abolishes the monitoring of UN sanctions against the country, more commonly known as North Korea, blocking the extension of the panel for another year.
Russia's Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the sanctions regime adopted with the intention of preventing nuclear weapons proliferation, was losing its relevance and also "to a great extent, detached from reality."
He said that an "unprecedented" Western-led policy was in place to "strangle Pyongyang", including harsh unilateral sanctions, "aggressive propaganda" and "direct personal threats".
He said the "active militarization" of the Korean Peninsula due to action by the NATO alliance was making matters worse, and directly threatening Russia's interests in the region.
China abstains
The vote in the 15-member Council was 13 in favour, Russia against and China abstaining.
The resolution does not alter the sanctions in place and they remain in force.
The US Deputy Permanent Representative Robert Wood said that Russia's veto was nothing more than an attempt "to silence the independent objective investigations into DPRK Security Council violations."
He said the veto had been used solely because the panel had in recent months begun reporting on "blatant violations" and persistent sanctions-busting "within Russia's jurisdiction."
He said today's vote would only embolden North Korea to act with impunity.
The Republic of Korea's Ambassador Hwang Joonkook told the Council before the vote that the panel of experts had been faithfully carrying out its duty for 15 years, and their work played a "crucial role" towards better sanctions implementation.
He said faced with DPRK's continued provocations and sanctions evasion, the role of the panel was all the more essential.
Read a full account here later in the day on our Meetings Coverage pages.
Sudan's 24 million children have a right to live in peace: UNICEF
Almost a year since war broke out in Sudan between rival militias, UN humanitarians warned on Thursday that hunger is everywhere and people are resilient but desperate for assistance.
The alert from the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, follows a recent mission to the city of Omdurman near Khartoum, where one hospital performed 300 amputations in a month, and where two to three patients share a bed.
Jill Lawler, UNICEF Chief of Field Operations in Sudan, said that millions have been affected and displaced across the country.
Listen to the full interview below where she describes the predicament of young mothers who are too weak to breastfeed their babies:
