Nuclear security

Russia does not accept a nuclear North Korea – Lavrov

Russia does not accept a North Korea that possesses nuclear weapons, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Lavrov added that there was an overwhelming amount of belligerent rhetoric on North Korea’s nuclear and rocket programs from Washington and Pyongyang, and that Russia hopes that ultimately common sense will prevail.

“Russia together with China developed a very smart plan which proposes ‘double freezing’: Kim Jong-un should freeze nuclear tests and stop launching any types of ballistic missiles, while US and South Korea should freeze large-scale drills which are used as a pretext for the North’s tests,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov noted that North Korea had once signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but then withdrew from it.