New York: The U.N. Security Council on Friday failed to issue a statement over a recent series of ballistic missile launches by North Korea.

At an emergency meeting on the day, 13 of the 15 Security Council members denounced or expressed concerns over the missile launches while the other two–China and Russia–maintained their stances of defending North Korea.

North Korea has been banned from conducting ballistic missile launches under related Security Council resolutions adopted in and after 2006.

In May this year, the council put to vote a U.S.-led draft resolution for imposing additional sanctions on Pyongyang, but it was scrapped as China and Russia, allies of North Korea, vetoed it. Last month, the Security Council tried to adopt a press statement, but met opposition from Beijing and Moscow.

At Friday’s meeting, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said North Korea “has enjoyed blanket protection from two members of this council,” apparently referring to China and Russia. “These members have bent over backward to justify” North Korea’s repeated violations of the Security Council resolutions.

The council’s failure to issue a clear message has led to North Korea firing a historically large number of missiles, Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Kimihiro Ishikane said, asking the council member to get united. Japan currently is not a member of the Security Council, but attended the meeting as a related country.

Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun indicated that large-scale joint military drills by the United States and South Korea were among factors behind North Korea’s recent missile launches.

Russia reiterated its argument that responsibility lies with the United States.

After the meeting, 12 countries including Japan, the United States, South Korea and Switzerland issued a joint statement denouncing the series of missile launches by North Korea. Japan and Switzerland, alongside three other countries, are set to serve as nonpermanent Security Council members for two years from January 2023.

The current 10 nonpermanent members, including India and Albania, denounced the missile launches in a separate statement.

In a statement issued through his spokesperson, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the missile launches and urged North Korea to return to dialogue.

JIJI Press