US sanctions Russian company and ship for violating North Korea sanctions

On August 21, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Russian shipping companies and six vessels for violating UN sanctions by transporting petroleum products to North Korean vessels.

The announcement by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that the two shipping companies based in Vladivostok in the above sanctions are Primorye Shipping Company and Gudzon Shipping Company. The US also announced 6 Russian-flagged ships on the sanctions list such as: Bella, Patriot, Sevastopol.

The consequences of violating the ban will remain in place until North Korea completes its denuclearization, according to Mr. Mnuchin. The announcement by the US Treasury Department comes just days after the US also imposed sanctions on a Russian port services company and Chinese companies for supporting North Korean ships as well as selling alcohol and tobacco to North Korea, thereby breaking US sanctions against the North Asian country.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that US sanctions could harm the peace process on the Korean peninsula and that the US does not realize how dangerous it is to apply maximum pressure on North Korea.

The sanctions were imposed by the US as the US continues to increase pressure on North Korea in the denuclearization process. After the summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June, North Korea announced an end to nuclear and ballistic missile tests, as well as the dismantling of an internationally known nuclear test site. However, so far, the denuclearization process has not made significant progress and North Korea has criticized the US for always making unilateral demands./.