Alwaght- Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that a global military strike against North Korea would be possible, yet its outcome uncertain, as it is a “closed state.”
“Let us speak to the point, after all – can someone launch a global disarming strike? Indeed. Will it reach its targets? It's unclear because no one knows for sure what is where,” Putin said while addressing the 2017 International Forum on Energy Efficiency on Wednesday.
He added there is no “100 percent knowledge” about North Korea's objects as it is “a closed country.”
Meanwhile, Putin said, coercive rhetoric against Pyongyang and attempts “to speak from a position of strength” only give more power to the North Korean leadership.
The Russian leader urged all sides to cool down their rhetoric and engage in dialogue.
“All sides must ease rhetoric and find ways for face-to-face dialogue between the United States and North Korea, as well as between North Korea and countries in the region,” he said.
“Only this would help find balanced and reasonable decisions.”
Putin stated that Russia cannot remain mute to the Korean crisis as it has a border with North Korea.
“We have a shared border and the Korean nuclear testing range lies 200km away from the Russian border,” he added.
As tensions on the Korean Peninsula run high, Russia and China have consistently called on the US and North Korea to pave the way for direct talks. Earlier, Russia and China suggested a ‘double-freeze’ initiative to cool down the crisis.
According to the joint proposal, the North would cease nuclear tests and missile launches in exchange for the US and South Korea halting joint military drills in the region.
The current tensions on the Korean Peninsula started following increased provocations by the US which includes military drills and deployment of warships and submarines in the region.
Pyongyang insists that developing its military defenses including nuclear weapons is important to counter incessant provocations by the US including a possible nuclear aggression.
