Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned North Korea’s latestmissile launch, but warned that the world should talk to Pyongyang rather thanthreaten it.
Putin said nuclear tests of the type that Pyongyang had been carrying out in recent weeks were unacceptable, but a peaceful solution is needed to ease the ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula .
“I want to confirm that we are categorically against the expansion of the club of nuclear powers,including with the Korean Peninsula and North Korea,” CNN quoted Putin, as saying, adding that anysuch move would be “harmful and dangerous”.
Without mentioning US, Putin said “intimidating North Korea is unacceptable .”
North Korea has maintained that the missile test was in response to the nuclear dangers and threats posed by the US and its allies.
“We will conduct ICBM tests anytime and anywhere in accordance with the decisions made by our central
leadership,” North Korea’s Ambassador to China Ji Jae Pyong said.