President Putin: 'We must not push North Korea into a dead end'

In his latest statement on the situation on the Korean peninsula, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on relevant parties "not to let emotions take over and push North Korea into a dead end."

President Putin (right) during a meeting with his South Korean counterpart on September 6 in Vladivostok city. Photo: Reuters

According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Mr. Putin made the above call during a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae In on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok (Russia) on September 6.

According to Mr. Putin, Russia's specific proposals have been clearly stated in the "road map" jointly drafted with China.

The Russian leader called on the sides to "carefully consider the new proposal", which in his view would outline a realistic path to reducing tensions and resolving the crisis.

President Putin affirmed that Russia does not recognize North Korea as a nuclear power because its missile program violates United Nations Security Council resolutions, violates the principle of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and threatens peace in Northeast Asia.

"Russia remains ready to implement trilateral projects with North Korea and South Korea, specifically the gas pipeline project from Russia to South Korea and the connection of electricity grids," Mr. Putin affirmed.

For his part, President Moon Jae In said he and President Putin agreed on the need to resolve issues with North Korea.

"The president (Putin) and I share the view that missile and nuclear tests (by Pyongyang) are not the right path. The first task is to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula," said Mr. Moon Jae In.

According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, President Moon Jae In stressed that North Korea's latest nuclear test has made the global security situation very serious, and asked his Russian counterpart to help restrain Pyongyang.

The South Korean leader said "the global political situation has become very serious due to North Korea's continuous provocations." He warned that the situation could spiral out of control if Pyongyang does not immediately stop these actions.

As planned, President Moon will also have a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Vladivostok before attending the 3rd Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) - an economic conference to promote regional cooperation for the development of Russia's Far East.

On the same day, September 6, South Korean Defense Minister Song Young Moo and his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera had a phone call, in which the two sides affirmed that they will strengthen bilateral cooperation to deal with North Korea.

The two defense ministers shared the view that North Korea's sixth nuclear test was a "flagrant violation" of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to the international community.

The two sides also agreed that North Korea's provocative actions would only worsen the country's isolation, and pledged to work with the United States to "immediately and fully" implement UN resolutions as a response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

According to Tuoi Tre