UNITED NATIONS, July 5. /TASS/. The use of military measures for resolving the Korean Peninsula crisis should be ruled out, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
According to him, Russia calls for "an early relaunch of dialogue aimed at finding a comprehensive solution to the problems of the Korean Peninsula." "The use of military measures for resolving the Korean Peninsula crisis should be ruled out," the Russian diplomat added.
Safronkov said that "any attempts" to use military force to resolve the situation surrounding North Korea were unacceptable. He also called for taking into account North Korea’s concerns over its security. "At the moment, it is important to reverse the dangerous confrontation trend and facilitate the search for a comprehensive political solution to the Korean Peninsula issues," the Russian diplomat stressed.
Russian-Chinese initiative
Moscow calls on all countries to support the Russian-Chinese initiative on resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula, Safronkov told the Security Council meeting.
He briefed the UN Security Council members on the essence of the proposal put forward by Moscow and Beijing, which envisages freezing the North Korean nuclear and missile programs, as well as the suspension of the joint US and South Korean military exercises, and resumption of negotiations based on renunciation of aggression and willingness to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. "We call on all countries to support the above-mentioned initiative paving the way for resolving the problems of the Korean Peninsula," the diplomat said.
He also reiterated Russia’s negative attitude to the deployment of the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system to the region. "We call the countries involved to immediately terminate and cancel the deployment process," Safronkov stressed.
Sanctions not the answer
According to the Russian deputy UN ambassador, "joint global and regional efforts" will help find a way out of the current situation on the Korean Peninsula. Safronkov added that sanctions were not the answer as they led to an impasse in the process aimed at resolving the crisis through political means.
On Tuesday, North Korea’s television announced the first successful launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile reached an altitude of 2,802 kilometers and flew 933 kilometers in 29 minutes, the North Korean television added. The missile launch was ordered by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the North Korean missile reached an altitude of 535 kilometers and flew about 510 kilometers, which shows that it was an intermediate-range missile.