North Korea: Russia accuses US of provoking Kim Jong-un

MOSCOW has accused Washington of trying to provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong-un into taking “another reckless step”.

North Korea launched its Hwasong-15 missile on Wednesday, said to be capable of reaching the US mainland. Picture: AFP/KCNA

RUSSIA has rejected calls to cut ties with Pyongyang, and accused the United States of deliberately provoking North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Moscow said Washington has been doing everything to prompt Kim to “lose it” after it warned North Korea’s leadership will be “utterly destroyed” if war breaks out.

The US also called on countries to cut all diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea.

The latest threat came after North Korea tested its third intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claimed was capable of striking anywhere in the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov poured scorn on Washington’s call to cut ties with North Korea and introduce new sanctions against it.

“We see this negatively,” he told journalists in the Belarusian capital Minsk. “We have repeatedly stated that the pressure of sanctions has been exhausted.”

He accused the US of seeking to provoke Kim Jong-un’s regime and demanded to know whether Washington was plotting to destroy the isolated country.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the launch of the Hwasong-15 missile on Wednesday. Picture: AFP/KCNA

“It’s as if the recent actions of the United States are consciously directed to provoke Pyongyang towards other radical actions,” Russia’s top diplomat said.

Mr Lavrov pointed to Washington’s plans to conduct a large-scale air force drill with South Korea in December, a new show of force aimed at the Kim regime, saying the US would be better off if it tried to hold negotiations instead.

“The impression is that everything has been done to prompt Kim Jong-un to lose it and take another reckless step. It’s sad,” he said.

“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,” Mr Lavrov said in remarks released by the foreign ministry.

US President Donald Trump derided Kim as a “sick puppy” and threatened “major” new sanctions.

People in Pyongyang celebrate the test of this week’s launch. Picture: KCNA/AFP

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also warned the secretive nation about its provocative behaviour during a UN Security Council meeting.

“If war comes, make no mistake: the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed,” she said.

The Kremlin called the latest missile test a “provocative action” and appealed for calm on all sides.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has emerged as one of the most strident voices against punishing Pyongyang, insisting that further sanctions and threats are “useless” against a regime that feels cornered.

Earlier this year, the US pressed for a full oil embargo on North Korea, but dropped that demand following resistance from China and Russia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US needs to take a more diplomatic approach with North Korea. Picture: Alexander Nemenov/AFP

However in an interview with Sky News this morning, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop once again laid the blame for tensions solely with North Korea.

“The cause of the tensions on the Peninsula are solely down to North Korea,” Ms Bishop said.

She said North Korea was the one conducting illegal missile tests in direct defiance of the UN Security Council.