New York, New York - Russia says it's time to consider ending international sanctions imposed on North Korea, as Moscow and Pyongyang appear to be moving ever closer.

"We think that that to impose sanctions on the country, which are endless, is simply unfair and discouraging," Russia's envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said in New York on Monday.

"So we have to think how to how to modify the central regime on [North Korea]. It cannot last forever," he added.

When asked whether North Korea should be allowed to test nuclear weapons, Nebenzya did not respond despite being pressed several times.

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Widely isolated North Korea, under the rule of Kim Jong Un, is subject to far-reaching UN sanctions and import bans due to its nuclear weapons program, including the trade in weapons and the transfer of military technologies to the country.

Despite the sanctions, North Korea has for years been advancing the development of missiles, especially nuclear-capable missiles. The communist leadership views the US and South Korea as its main enemies.

Russia, on the other hand, continues to maintain close ties with Pyongyang.

Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the North Korean capital himself last month, where he and Kim signed an all-encompassing strategic cooperation intended to take cooperation between the two states to a new level.

The deal includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked.

Western states suspect that Moscow has been transferring key military technologies to Pyongyang in return for the delivery of North Korean missiles and artillery ammunition which Moscow uses in its war against Ukraine.