“We deeply regret that our Western colleagues have consistently ignored Pyongyang's repeated calls for the US to cease its hostile activities, which would open up opportunities for dialogue,” Evstigneeva said during a UNSC meeting.
Pyongyang has repeatedly said that North Korea’s military-related activities come in response to provocations by South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
Meanwhile, the United States is planning to propose a UNSC presidential statement in order to hold North Korea accountable for missile launches, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on Monday.
“We will offer another opportunity for the council to hold the DPRK [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] accountable for its dangerous rhetoric and its destabilizing actions. The United States will be proposing a presidential statement to this end,” Thomas-Greenfield said during a Security Council meeting. “We're prepared to take our colleagues up on their assertion that they would have considered a PRST [presidential statement] following the DPRK’s March 24 ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] launch.”
At the same time she said that the United States believes that Russia and China are responsible for the UN Security Council's failure to act in response to North Korea's continued missile launches.
"This is the 10th time that we have met without significant actions. The reason is simple: two veto wielding members of the council are enabling and emboldening the DPRK,” Thomas-Greenfield told Security Council members.
She also said Russia and China's "obstructionism" puts the North East Asian region and the entire world at risk.
Her position was echoed by South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Joon-kook who said that Russia and China are to blame for North Korea test-launching 40 ballistic missiles since May.
"Since the Security Council failed to adopt a resolution because of the opposition two by permanent members in May, the DPRK [North Korea] has launched forty ballistic missiles and promulgated its new law on nuclear weapon policy," Hwang Joon-kook told the UN Security Council.
The South Korean ambassador said North Korea’s new policy sets a far lower threshold than any other country for using nuclear weapons.
According to KCNA, the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile launched from the Pyongyang International Airport, traveled up to a maximum altitude of over 6,040 kilometers (over 3,753 miles) and flew over a distance of more than 999 kilometers (over 620 miles) in 4,135 seconds before landing in open waters of the Sea of Japan.
The new launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan and warned the United States and its allies that Pyongyang would respond proportionally to Washington's bolstering of extended deterrence.
North Korea has conducted dozens of missile test launches since the start of 2022, several missiles at once on some occasions. On November 2, North Korea launched more than 20 short-range missiles.
Meanwhile, China urges members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to consider its joint resolution with Russia on North Korea to mitigate the humanitarian situation in the country and promote a settlement in the region, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun said.
“The DPRK [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea] related draft resolution, jointly sponsored by China and Russia in the Security Council, will help mitigate the humanitarian situation in DPRK, create an atmosphere for dialogue and promote the realization of the regional settlement. We hope that all parties can positively consider it,” Zhang said during a UNSC meeting.