Russia is violating UN limits on petroleum shipments to North Korea, the White House says

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Russia is shipping refined petroleum to North Korea at levels that exceed U.N. Security Council limits. And the Biden administration is signaling it’ll impose new sanctions against those involved in facilitating the transfers. The United Nations had set an annual 500,000 barrel cap on refined petroleum products to North Korea as part of its long effort to curb the North’s nuclear weapons program. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that in March alone, Russia shipped more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to North Korea. He said that with the close proximity of Russian and North Korean commercial ports, Russia could sustain such shipments indefinitely.