Russia condemns new U.S. sanctions on North Korea

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned new U.S. sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after Washington concluded that North Korea had used the chemical warfare agent VX to kill the half-brother of leader Kim Jong Un in Malaysia in 2017.

Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said any sanctions which were imposed unilaterally and not under the auspices of the United Nations were illegitimate.

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it had imposed the new sanctions on Pyongyang.