MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. Provocative actions by the US and its allies are raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, forcing Pyongyang to bolster its defenses, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with RTVI.

"Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are rising from these actions, reaching critical levels and forcing Pyongyang to bolster its defenses, carrying out various activities to restrain the aggressor and prevent a nuclear war," the diplomat pointed out.

He added that Russia was concerned about "the provocative actions that are taken one after another and the unwavering hostility towards North Korea that the US and those following its lead show." However, Matsegora noted that Moscow "can see clear that Washington and its satellites will never agree to ease sanctions on North Korea, even though such a possibility is envisaged in the relevant" UN Security Council resolutions.

The Russian ambassador noted that the sanctions were aimed at wearing North Korea out through military, political and economic pressure and "destroying it as an independent state." He expressed confidence that "they won’t be able to achieve their goals."