North Korea: Trump must resolve crisis through talks not ‘insolent’ threats - Putin
RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has called for the volatile situation in North Korea to be resolved through dialogue, not “insolent” threats of force.
Putin: North Korea crisis should be solved through talks
In an apparant swipe at President Donald Trump, the Russian leader condemned Kim Jong-un’s recent nuclear tests, but said it was wrong to “fall in to outright insolence” when dealing with the rogue state.
And Mr Putin went on to accuse the United States of “selfishness” in failing to cooperate with Russia on global issues, as well as claiming Washington had repeatedly failed to fulfil its obligations under international nuclear and chemical weapons treaties.
Mr Trump has been engaged in a long-running war of words with despot Kim, and recently mocked him as “little rocket man” before threatening to "totally destroy" the hermit state if it dared attack the US or one of its allies.
In response, Kim referred to Mr Trump “a mentally deranged dotard” and warned he would "pay dearly" for his threats.
it is absolutely necessary to resolve this problem through dialogue and not drive North Korea into a corner
Addressing academics and reporters at the Valdai discussion group this afternoon, Mr Putin said: "We condemn the nuclear tests carried out by North Korea.
"But it is absolutely necessary to resolve this problem through dialogue and not drive North Korea into a corner, threatening it with the use of force, and not to fall into outright insolence.
"Wether you like the North Korean regime or not, whether it is good or not, you should not forget it is a sovereign state."
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are running high as Kim’s regime has shown no signs of stopping in its pursuit of more powerful nuclear weapons, and the long-range missile technology needed to get them to their targets.
In response to the north’s repeated - and widely condemned - weapons tests, the United States has ramped up military drills with its South Korean allies.
American B1 bombers escorted by stealth fighter jets have been flying missions in international airspace close to the rouge state.
And the US airforce has pledged to continue in its show of force, despite a warning from Kim’s foreign minister that they could be shot down.
At the talk in Sochi, Mr Putin also called for a "gradual" reform of the United Nations.
He said: ”There is no alternative to the United Nations today.
"UN reforms are necessary, but they can only be gradual.”
During his 2016 campaign, Mr Trump spoke highly of the Russian leader and expressed hopes relations between the two rival nations would improve under his presidency.
The pair reportedly got off on the right foot when they met for the first time at the G20 in July.
But relations have since deteriorated, with Russia’s top US diplomat saying last week they had “hit an all time low”.