Tensions with North Korea are fueled even more, as Russian tankers have been accused of giving fuel to the socialist country in secret.
Two senior Western European security sources have alleged that Russian oil tankers have been supplying oil to North Korea. If proven, this means that the federal sovereign is in direct violation of the United Nations (UN) Security Council trade embargo policy against North Korea. What makes matter worse is that the Russian Federation is actually a veto-wielding member of the said UN council, meaning it was one of the countries which were against the oil embargo towards North Korea.
The said secret trade between the two apparently took place from October to November and has since become large-scale freighter ship exchanges. This could indicate the large quantities of oil being delivered to the socialist country. Earlier back in Sept. 2017, North Korean ships have been spotted leaving Russia back to their home country.
However, the two security sources who have made the claims have also stated that there was currently no evidence that of state or government involvement in the exchange between the two countries. It may as well be just an independent and illegal smuggling run from some entities of Russia, though the amount being transferred to North Korea would definitely have drawn much attention to the operation. It is not known whether the Russian authorities are aware of the situation.
When asked regarding the claims, Russian authorities have quickly affirmed that the state was in strict observance of the sanction and oil embargo against North Korea. Russian Customs even denied that they were supplying oil to the socialist country.
It can be recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated the sanctions against North Korea back in Sept. 2017, where he even convinced China and Russia to drop their oil trade with the country. Both Russia and China have rejected the sanction, but the majority of UN have agreed to it. Now, it seems North Korea is still getting its oil despite the UN sanction. However, some experts claim that the total oil embargo could only lead to war, similar to how the U.S. also did likewise towards Imperial Japan before World War II began.
