Russia calls for setting expiration date for sanctions against North Korea

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova urged setting an expiration date for sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday.

Sanctions hinder the socio-economic development of North Korea and have the most negative effect on its population, Zakharova said at a news conference in Moscow in response to a question from Anadolu.

"Russia has been raising at the UN Security Council this issue of the absolute dysfunction, uselessness and counterproductivity of these sanctions with all directness, trying to convey to colleagues the simple idea of the futility of maintaining the sanctions in its current 'ossified' form," she said.

Zakharova said sanctions are suppressing "any incentive to the negotiation process and easing tension around the Korean Peninsula."

"The sanctions hanging endlessly over Pyongyang are a relic of the past, only those who still think in neo-colonial revanchist categories are interested in preserving them with the goal, as they formulate it -- of 'breaking' North Korea as a sovereign state -- forgetting, that this is a state with a long history of suffering, its own, original state system," she said.

The spokeswoman argued that sanctions do not make the situation in the region safer while their abolition would contribute to trust-building.

"Why not start by setting specific foreseeable time horizons for them?” she said. “Substantive steps, accompanied by the restoration of trust, taking into account legitimate interests of the Korean people would be in great demand now.”

Turning to reports that claim France is preparing to deploy military contingents in Ukraine, Zakharova told Anadolu: "We have taken these aggressive statements into account, and we are ready for any development."

The official emphasized that Russian authorities also noted that EU and NATO allies gave a cold shoulder to statements by French President Emmanuel Macron.

"These statements also caused rejection from the overwhelming majority of French citizens, who do not want to turn into cannon fodder, following the example of Ukraine where the Zelesnkyy regime sacrifices Ukrainians for the sake of the dangerous geopolitical ambitions of the ruling Western elites," she said.

In February, Macron refused to rule out the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine -- an idea rejected by allies.