Politics
19:31, 30-Nov-2017
Russia rejects US calls to sever ties with DPRK
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Russia on Thursday rejected calls from Washington for the world to sever diplomatic ties with the DPRK after the country launched another ballistic missile on Wednesday.
"We see this negatively," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists in the Belarusian capital Minsk.
"We have repeatedly stated that the pressure of sanctions has been exhausted. It's as if the recent actions of the United States are consciously directed to provoke Pyongyang towards other radical actions."
"The Americans need to explain what they are aiming for. If they are looking for a reason to destroy North Korea, then they should say it straight and the American leadership should confirm it," Lavrov was quoted as saying.
On Wednesday, Washington warned that DPRK's leadership would be "utterly destroyed" if war broke out.
US President Donald Trump derided Kim as a "sick puppy" and threatened "major" new sanctions.
Earlier this year, Washington pressed for a full oil embargo on the DPRK but dropped the demand following resistance from China and Russia.
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Source(s): AFP