Washington, United States

The United States on Friday (November 04) during the Security Council meeting accused superpowers China and Russia of providing blanket protection to North Korea over its latest ballistic missile tests. Following Pyongyang's latest launch on Friday, including the one that failed, the US along with Britain, France, Albania, Norway and Ireland requested the UNSC to take action. 

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According to diplomats, both China and Russia will not support any council action against North Korea's missile tests.

Russia and China had in May vetoed a US-led effort to increase sanctions on North Korea but both have been advocating North Korea's nuclear actions for their own profits. 

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Referring to Russia and China, the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield said that the countries should not abandon UNSC responsibilities just because the DPRK might send some nuclear weapons to you for the ongoing war in Ukraine or if they think they make a good regional buffer to the States.

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In reaction, China's UN ambassador Zhang Jun said that the council should play a constructive role instead of continuously pressuring others. He added, the council should work on how to reduce conflicts and lower political tensions. 

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The UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres denounced North Korea's missile launches and also urged to immediately desist from taking any such provocative actions. 

The United Nations has long prohibited Pyongyang for its tests and ballistic missile launches and even imposed several sanctions on the country to cut off the funding for such actions. 

France's envoy, Nicolas de Rivière, said, "The current escalation is unprecedented, and these new provocations are unacceptable."

The 10 non-permanent members of the Security Council, which include India, Brazil and Mexico, condemned North Korea's missile launches in a joint statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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