The Russian military has briefed President Vladimir Putin on the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Kremlin calls to avoid sharp moves that could lead to further escalation on the Korean peninsula, Peskov said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Kremlin calls to avoid sharp moves that could lead to further escalation on the Korean peninsula, Peskov said.
"We are talking about the consistent position of the two sides, who do not hide their concerns, but at the same time, who consistently continue a balanced, neat policy, I call on everyone to beware of harsh steps that might lead to a new escalation," Peskov said.
The Russian-Chinese joint plan on settling the situation on the Korean peninsula has not yet been presented to the United States, he said.
"As far as I know, no, there are ongoing contacts in the UN Security Council on this issue. You remember yesterday's joint statement of the foreign ministers of Russia and China on the North Korean nuclear issue. [The plan has not been presented] as of yet, of course, as it was agreed just yesterday," Peskov told reporters.
On Tuesday, Russian and Chinese foreign ministries released a joint statement calling on Pyongyang to declare a moratorium on nuclear tests and urging the US and South Korea to refrain from joint drills in order to avoid further escalation of the situation on the peninsula.
North Korea announced Tuesday that it had successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-14, at 00:30 GMT. It said the missile traveled 580 miles and reached an altitude of 1,740 miles during its 39-minute flight before "accurately hitting the target waters in the open sea" in the Sea of Japan.
North Korea carried out several missile tests in the past two months, possibly testing a ICBM rocket engine on June 23 and missiles of various ranges on June 08, May 29 and May 21.
Over the years, the United Nations Security Council has issued numerous resolutions concerning North Korea. The June 02 resolution condemned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development activities, while the March 23 resolution strengthened sanctions against Pyongyang.
This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.