The United Nations Security Council(UNSC) has failed to adopt a resolution aimed at imposing additional sanctions on North Korea over its ballistic missile launches as China and Russia vetoed it together.

The Security Council put the resolution to a vote in a session on Thursday at the UN headquarters in New York.

The resolution received the support of 13 members of the 15-member Security Council, with just China and Russia – both permanent members – together vetoing fresh sanctions against the North.

A UNSC resolution must secure the support of nine or more members and cannot pass if it is vetoed by any of the five permanent members – Russia, China, the U.S., France and Britain.

The resolution was led by the U.S. in response to the North's series of ballistic missile launches, including intercontinental ballistic missiles(ICBM).

The resolution would have reduced the amount of crude oil that North Korea can legally import each year from four million to three million barrels.

It would also similarly cut the annual cap on refined petroleum exports to a maximum of 375-thousand barrels from 500-thousand barrels.