Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said today Moscow did not recognise “one-sided American sanctions” and would only enforce those passed by the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
Russian news agency RIA quoted Mr Morgulov as saying: “We will carry out only sanctions which are adopted by the UN Security Council.
“We don’t recognise one-sided American sanctions, we have no international obligations to comply with them.”
He added officials would not expel citizens from the rogue state living in Russia who are subject to punitive measures drawn up by President Donald Trump’s administration.
This comes as the US State Department urged the Kremlin to “do more” to uphold UN sanctions and strangle Kim Jong-un’s regime of the funds, oil and coal it needs to further its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
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Relations between Russia and the United States have soured in recent months, despite Mr Trump’s desire to repair the strained relationship with President Vladimir Putin.
And now the Kremlin stands accused of breaching UN sanctions by assisting Pyongyang by purchasing coal from the hermit state, which is one of its biggest cash sources, then shipping it to South Korea and Japan.
The Security Council banned all exports of coal from the secretive state in August.
But Western European intelligence sources say the secretive state has since shipped coal to Russian ports on at least three occasions.
One of the sources, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said: ”Russia’s port of Nakhodka is becoming a transhipping hub for North Korean coal.”
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted Russia abided by international law.
He told reporters today: ”Russia is a responsible member of the international community.”
Asked about the shipments, a US State Department spokesman said: “It’s clear that Russia needs to do more.
“All UN member states, including Russia, are required to implement sanctions resolutions in good faith and we expect them all to do so.”