US: "North Korea's Additional Provocations, All Countries Must Be Held Accountable" Urges Cooperation from China and Russia

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 25th (local time), the U.S. Department of State stated that China and Russia must send a strong message urging North Korea to refrain from further provocations and engage in diplomacy regarding North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launch.

Deputy State Department Spokesperson Zhelina Porter said at a press briefing that the United Nations Security Council is in the early stages of discussing North Korea's ICBM launch issue. The UN Security Council will hold a public meeting in the afternoon to discuss responses to the ICBM launch.

Deputy Spokesperson Porter pointed out, "There has been a development in the situation that causes concern for all countries, especially those sharing borders with North Korea," adding, "North Korea's return to ICBM testing is a clear act of escalating tension." She also emphasized that North Korea's ICBM launch is a blatant violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and urged all countries to hold North Korea accountable for these violations.

This is interpreted as a call for cooperation from China and Russia at the Security Council level amid the emerging confrontation between the West and China-Russia over the recent Ukraine crisis. Unlike four years ago when the U.S. and its allies secured support from Russia and China to impose sanctions immediately after North Korea's ICBM launch, it is now assessed that the West, including the U.S., has very few options left due to the impact of the Ukraine situation.

Deputy Spokesperson Porter said, "The door to diplomacy is not closed," urging North Korea to engage in dialogue. When asked whether China and Russia should be expelled from the UN Security Council, she avoided commenting, saying, "I am not in a position to comment."

Meanwhile, the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers issued a statement strongly condemning North Korea's ICBM test launch. The G7 stated, "The missile tests conducted so far this year are blatant violations of UN Security Council resolutions," "We urge North Korea to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions and respond to repeated dialogue proposals from the United States, South Korea, and Japan." They also emphasized that North Korea must make a "complete, irreversible, and verifiable" abandonment of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile development programs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.