Russia calls on countries 'not to let emotions overwhelm' over North Korea issue

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on countries “not to let emotions prevail” in resolving the North Korean nuclear and missile issue.

Russia calls for restraint

According to TASS, the above statement was made by Mr. Putin during a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 3 after North Korea announced its successful test of an H-bomb.

Russian President Putin. Photo: Sputnik

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “The Russian president calls on the international community not to let emotions prevail in dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue but to act calmly and balanced.

President Putin also stressed the importance of finding a comprehensive diplomatic and political solution to the North Korean nuclear and missile issue.

According to Mr. Peskov: “The two leaders of Russia and Japan discussed in detail the H-bomb test by North Korea. Both leaders said that this is an action that violates the UN Security Council resolution, the norms of international law and seriously threatens peace and stability in the region.”

Earlier, Russian President Putin also had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to Mr. Peskov, in this phone call, the two Russian and Chinese leaders also called on countries to exercise restraint in handling the North Korean issue.

“Both Putin and Xi Jinping expressed deep concern about the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Both leaders stressed the importance of preventing conflicts and called on all sides to exercise restraint and work towards political and diplomatic solutions to the issue,” Peskov said.

“The Russian and Chinese leaders also considered North Korea’s nuclear test unacceptable and called on North Korea to move towards denuclearization. Both sides agreed to coordinate actions on the international level to address the North Korean nuclear issue,” Mr. Peskov added.

Ready for dialogue

According to Mr. Peskov, Russia is ready to talk with any partner to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula. Russia believes that the current sanctions against North Korea are "ineffective."

“The Russian side is ready to engage in dialogue with all relevant parties on the North Korean issue within the framework of the United Nations Security Council and other dialogue formats,” Mr. Peskov said, adding that President Putin has repeatedly emphasized that the only way to resolve the North Korean issue is dialogue with all relevant parties.”

Asked whether Russia supports the continuation of sanctions against North Korea, Mr. Peskov emphasized: “Let's wait for the upcoming dialogue and negotiations. At this point, the current sanctions have not brought any positive results.”

According to Mr. Peskov, Russian President Putin said that many countries, including the US, "are very interested in the North Korean issue even though they are thousands of kilometers away from North Korea." Therefore, Russia's interest in the North Korean issue is understandable because Russia is a neighbor of North Korea and "anything that happens on the Korean peninsula has a direct impact on Russia"./.

According to VOV