U.S. Weakens Resolution on North Korea to Gain Chinese and Russian Support

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UNITED NATIONS — The Trump administration has backed away from some of the most stringent penalties it had sought to impose on North Korea, in an apparent effort to draw Russian and Chinese backing for a new raft of sanctions over the country’s nuclear weapons advances.

A revised draft resolution of the United Nations Security Council, circulated to members late Sunday night after negotiations through the weekend, sets a cap on oil exports to North Korea, but does not block them altogether, as the Trump administration had originally proposed.

The resolution asks countries around the world to inspect ships going in and out of North Korea’s ports but does not authorize the use of force for ships that do not comply.

The resolution also requires that those inspections be done with the consent of the countries where the ships are registered, which opens the door to violations. The original language proposed by the United States would have empowered American forces to interdict ships suspected of carrying weapons material or fuel into North Korea and to use “all necessary measures” to enforce compliance.

Nor does the resolution impose a travel ban or asset freeze on the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as the original American draft had set out. And the new measure dilutes the original language that would have banned the import of North Korean laborers altogether, saying that countries should not provide work authorization papers unless necessary for humanitarian assistance or denuclearization. The weakened language was a nod to Russia, a big user of imported North Korean labor.

The Security Council was set to vote on the new sanctions resolution on Monday evening.

Any measure needs at least nine out of 15 votes on the Council to be adopted, and no vetoes. Both Russia and China, as permanent members, wield veto power.

Diplomats said the new language, which was negotiated surprisingly swiftly after the North’s latest nuclear test, was a tough but balanced measure designed to address Chinese and Russian concerns.

“The version on the table is strong, it is robust, it is a very significant set of additional sanctions on imports into North Korea and on exports out of North Korea and other measures as well, so that’s why we will be voting in favor of it,” Matthew Rycroft, Britain’s ambassador, told reporters.

Nonetheless, it remained unclear in the hours leading up to the vote whether Russia and China will approve.