“There are possibilities to achieve the settlement of Pyongyang’s problem by diplomatic means… »
Only a few days ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the US and North Korea were “on the verge of a large-scale conflict, ” seeming to imply that a war – possibly more than just conventional – was inevitable, as North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un would never shutter the country’s nuclear program, according to Russia Today.
Today, in what appears to be a reversal, Putin – speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok on Thursday – cautioned that there would be no conflict involving nuclear weapons in northeast Asia.
“’We hope it will not come to a conflict with the use of weapons of mass destruction in North-East Asia’ , Russian president Vladimir Putin stated at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok.”
He added that diplomatic solutions remain – possibly alluding to a plan developed by China and Russia where the North would halt its nuclear program while the US and South Korea would end their military exercises, which Kim believes are dress rehearsals for an invasion.
“There are possibilities to achieve the settlement of Pyongyang’s problem by diplomatic means. This is possible and must be done, ” he stated.
We need to work together. We can and must achieve positive results, » Putin said, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum on Thursday.
You can hear Putin’s remarks in their entirety by watching the video below.
He recalled that back in 2005 – before the North had conducted even its first nuclear test – the two sides came close to resolving their differences.
« We almost agreed on everything in 2005.
