UNITED NATIONS — The United States dropped the possibility of using force against North Korea over the regime's purported nuclear test, a concession to Russia and China in the hope of seeing a U.N. Security Council Resolution on the standoff passed by today.

The presidents of China and South Korea met in Beijing and a Russian envoy traveled to Pyongyang ahead of a full Security Council meeting this morning.

The United States reported significant progress Thursday night in bridging differences with Russia and China after more than two hours of negotiations among ambassadors from the five permanent council nations — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — and Japan's ambassador, the current council president.

The Chinese and South Korean presidents discussed the U.S.-proposed draft U.N. resolution on sanctions against North Korea but reached no agreement on it, Song Min-soon, Korean leader Roh Moo-hyun's security adviser, told reporters.

The U.S. said it hoped a vote could be held today on its new resolution, though Japan said Saturday was more likely.

"We have made very substantial progress," U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told reporters after the meeting.

Moscow and Beijing have wanted a more moderate response to Pyongyang's nuclear brinkmanship in the belief this might lure the reclusive communist nation back to disarmament talks.

China wanted to ensure that nothing in the draft could trigger military action, and the new U.S. draft circulated Thursday night eliminated a blanket arms embargo in the previous text. Under the new version, nations would be barred from selling to or supplying North Korea with specific weapons — including missiles, tanks, warships and combat aircraft.

Likewise, the North would be barred from exporting such weapons to U.N. member states.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya agreed that "good progress has been made" in improving the text. Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said there had been "a number of improvements" and council unity "is in good shape."

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet approved closing the country's ports to North Korean ships and banning trade with the communist state. The sanctions also include a six-month ban on travel to Japan by all North Korean government officials.

The strong response came even though North Korea's claim to have detonated a nuclear explosion Monday has not yet been confirmed.