North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions since 2006, and the measures have been steadily strengthened over the years. US President Donald Trump said last month that he wanted to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this year. North Korea has been under UN Security Council sanctions since 2006, and the measures have been steadily strengthened over the years with the aim of halting Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. But Russia and China now insist that UN sanctions on North Korea should be eased on humanitarian grounds and in a bid to convince Pyongyang to restart negotiations. Russia is using North Korean troops to battle Ukrainian forces.