MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. Moscow calls on all countries to show restraint concerning the situation surrounding North Korea, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"Of course, the global community needs to exert some pressure in order to make all parties show restraint and common sense," he said. "The situation is fraught with unpredictable tensions and we are concerned about that," the Kremlin spokesman noted adding that "it is our eastern neighboring country."
"We stand for continuing political and diplomatic efforts aimed at solving the North Korea issue, particularly using international formats that have already proved to be effective," Peskov stated.
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"Russia has never been a supporter of sanctions," he added. "We believe it to be an unsuccessful approach."
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula began to grow in early 2016 when North Korea conducted a nuclear test and after that launched a ballistic missile carrying a satellite. In September 2016, Pyongyang carried out another nuclear test while mover than 20 missiles were test-fired during the year. Last Sunday, North Korea attempted another missile launch which, according to the US military, ended in a failure as the missile exploded almost immediately. The missile launch followed the celebrations of the 105th birth anniversary of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung. A massive military parade took place in Pyongyang, during which, as analysts say, a submarine-launched ballistic missile was displayed for the first time.
Lately, the United States has stated on many occasions that all possible options to deal with North Korea are under consideration. On April 9, media reports said that the Pentagon had ordered the USS Carl Vinson strike group to sail towards the Korean Peninsula. This decision of the US administration raised concerns in North Korea as Pyongyang does not rule out a US missile strike. Under these circumstances, the North Korean authorities announced their determination to strengthen the country’s nuclear and missile capabilities.