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Russia calls North Korea’s claims for nuclear power status 'unacceptable' — UN envoy

According to the Russian diplomat, Pyongyang’s "yet another demonstrative disregard" of the Security Council resolutions is "highly regrettable"
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya
© AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

UNITED NATIONS, November 30. /TASS/. Russia regrets that North Korea test launched a ballistic missile and finds its claims for a status of a nuclear power unacceptable, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said on Wednesday at an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

According to the Russian diplomat, Pyongyang’s "yet another demonstrative disregard" of the Security Council resolutions is "highly regrettable" and "deserves the most resolute condemnation."

"Russia finds North Korea’s claims for a status of nuclear power unacceptable and has supported all United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding Pyongyang stop its nuclear missile program in the interests of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said, adding that in the current situation "prospects for normalization of the situation on the Korean Peninsula are still vague."

In the morning on November 29, North Korea conducted a missile launch, the first one since September 15.

According to North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA), a Hwasong-15 missile covered a distance of 950 kilometers in 53 minutes, reaching an altitude of 4,475 kilometers.

According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the missile fell into the sea in Japan's exclusive economic zone, 250 kilometers west off the coast of Japan’s Aomori Prefecture.

Earlier on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump promised to impose "additional major sanctions" on North Korea on that very day.

US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley called on all countries to sever relations with North Korea and demanded China exert pressure on Pyongyang by means of stopping oil supplies to that country. Otherwise, in her words, the United States will take control of the situation.

The Russian UN envoy, in turn, noted that sanctions are only an instrument for political and diplomatic settlement of the situation and should not be a goal in itself. He stressed that restrictions must not be used to worsen the humanitarian situation in North Korea.