NEW YORK, September 20. /TASS/. Moscow has no doubts that the United States has the capacity to "do something very destructive" to North Korea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview to TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman and AP Vice President John Daniszewski.

"We heard the statements from President Trump about North Korea in the same vein for many times. We don’t doubt that the United States has capacity to do something very destructive," he said.

"But I paid attention to another part of the president’s speech," Lavrov continued. "He said he respects sovereignty and equality in international relations, that the United States wants to live by example and not otherwise, and that the US would not impose its way of life on others and will accept the plurality of the nations, cultures and civilizations. I think it’s a very welcomed statement which we haven’t heard from an American leader for a very long time."

Speaking before the 72nd UN General Assembly on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said that if his country "is forced to defend itself or its allies," then it "will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea."