Statement by the delegation of Ukraine at the UNSC meeting on DPRK

1. Ukraine voted in favor of resolution 2356, which designates additional North-Korean individuals and entities for inclusion into the relevant control lists in response to the recent provocative missile ballistic launches by DPRK. We welcome the efforts of those delegations who were involved in drafting the text.

2. At the same time, faced with almost weekly missile launches by DPRK, a rapid progress in the North-Korean missile program, Pyongyang’s continuous aggressive rhetoric and steady evolution of its tricks to evade existing prohibitions and restrictions, we must admit that the current sanctions regime needs to be strengthened. We are all aware that DPRK continues to acquire technologies, materials, equipment and financial resources for further development of its nuclear and missile programs. And every single launch or test make it more and more difficult for this Council and international community at large to put an end to this sinister process.

3. We share the necessity to address the North-Korean nuclear threat collectively and decisively. We must not allow Pyongyang to continue destabilizing the situation and discrediting the role of the Council in the context of global nonproliferation efforts. Only robust steps by the Council could stop the systematic and flagrant violations of international law and move closer to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We call upon the Council’s members to stay united in further tackling the DPRK issue to ensure Pyongyang’s full compliance with the Council’s decisions and demands. Only a consolidated and firm stance will bear fruit and bring about positive change in the current tense situation in the region.

I intended to conclude my statement on this optimistic note. Unfortunately, the statement of the Russian delegation few moments ago leaves certain doubts in this regard.

Thank you.