“Russia condemns North
Korea’s exercises, we consider that they are a provocation,” he said, but
added: “Whipping up military hysteria makes absolutely no sense in this
situation ... This is a road to nowhere. “All of this can lead to a global
planetary catastrophe and a great number of victims.”
Mr Putin refused to
directly criticise Mr Trump, but said it was preposterous for Washington to ask
for Moscow’s help after sanctioning Russian companies accused of violating
North Korea sanctions. “It’s ridiculous to put us on the same (sanctions) list as
North Korea and then ask for our help in imposing sanctions on North Korea,”
said Mr Putin. “This is being done by people who mix up Australia with
Austria.”
Mr Putin called for
dialogue on the crisis and warned against measures that could escalate the situation.
“Resorting to just any sanctions in this situation is useless and inefficient,”
he said. He said it was important that all parties including North Korea do not
face “threats of annihilation” but “step on the path of cooperation.”
Mr Putin’s comments
were made to reporters in the Chinese city of Xiamen after the annual BRICS
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit of five emerging
economies. They came after North Korea detonated what it said was a hydrogen
bomb on Sunday and announced it could mount the warhead on a missile, dramatically
raising the stakes in Pyongyang’s standoff with the international community
over its banned weapons programs. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the US
President spoke about the provocation late on Monday and both “condemned North
Korea’s continued reckless and dangerous behaviour”, reaffirming the importance
of close coordination at the United Nations.
Ms Merkel called North
Korea’s latest nuclear test a “flagrant violation” of international
conventions, but said there can only be a “diplomatic and peaceful solution” of
the crisis. She told the German parliament on Tuesday that North Korea’s
distance from Germany should not keep the country from helping to end the
crisis. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told politicians it was time to
increase pressure on North Korea and eliminate loopholes that allow some
countries to continue trading with Pyongyang. Malcolm Turnbull is due to speak
to Mr Trump on Wednesday at 7.45am AEST and Defence Minister Marise Payne is heading
to South Korea to help resolve the impasse.
The international
community has become increasingly concerned after Sunday’s tests, with North
Korea on Monday spotted moving what appeared to be an intercontinental
ballistic missile towards its west coast, according to reports. An unidentified
intelligence source revealed the move to South Korea’s Asia Business Daily a
day after the North’s sixth and biggest nuclear test, as the South ramped up its
military tests in response. North Korea is reportedly moving an
intercontinental ballistic missile into place, after South Korea yesterday
responded to the North’s nuclear test with live-fire exercises off its eastern
coast. North Korea is reportedly moving an intercontinental ballistic missile
into place, after South Korea yesterday responded to the North’s nuclear test
with live-fire exercises off its eastern coast.
The rocket was spotted
moving under cover of darkness to avoid surveillance, the report said. North
Korea has launch facilities for its missile program on its west coast. The
destination could be Sohae Satellite Launching Station, a major
intercontinental ballistic missile development and testing site around 200
kilometres northwest of Pyongyang, or a missile silo in mountainous
Geumchang-ri, North Pyongan province.
But Brendan
Thomas-Noone from the US Studies Centre said North Korea now has technology
that allows it to launch missiles from road mobile launchers, on any flat
surface. It could also fire a rocket over its own land, meaning the missile
could head in any direction. South Korea’s Hyunmoo II ballistic missile is
fired on Monday in a live-fire exercise simulating an attack on North Korea’s
nuclear test site to ‘strongly warn’ Pyongyang over Sunday’s nuclear test.
South Korea’s Hyunmoo
II ballistic missile is fired on Monday in a live-fire exercise simulating an
attack on North Korea’s nuclear test site to ‘strongly warn’ Pyongyang over
Sunday’s nuclear test.
Mr Thomas-Noone told
news.com.au Kim Jong-un could be purposely moving the rocket to demonstrate
that the United States and South Korea will struggle to track and destroy its
weapons. “It came from one of the missile factories on the west coast known to
produce ICBMs,” he said. “The last couple of tests have shown they can launch
from multiple locations.
“They are obviously
saying they’re working to keep pushing the envelope until they are confident
they can strike the US with an ICBM.” North Korea has already shown its ICBMs
could threaten the US mainland by testing two in July that were capable of
flying 10,000 kilometres.
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