President Vladimir Putin warned Friday of a « major conflict » looming on the Korean Peninsula, calling for crisis talks as France’s foreign minister warned of a possible threat to Europe. Nuclear-armed North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific, escalating
President Vladimir Putin warned Friday of a « major conflict » looming on the Korean Peninsula, calling for crisis talks as France’s foreign minister warned of a possible threat to Europe.
Nuclear-armed North Korea on Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific, escalating tensions over its atomic programme which have led to bellicose exchanges between Washington and Pyongyang.
Putin warned that the region was « on the brink of a major conflict ».
« The problems in the region will only be solved via direct dialogue between all concerned parties, without preconditions, » Putin said in a Kremlin statement, warning that « threats, pressure and insulting and militant rhetoric are a dead end. »
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meanwhile said North Korea was close to being able to launch long-range missiles.
« The situation is extremely serious… We see a North Korea whose objective is to have missiles capable of transporting a nuclear weapon tomorrow, » he told RTL radio.
