(Bloomberg) -- Russia condemned North Korea's test of a hydrogen bomb on Sunday, but said it was premature to discuss any new sanctions against the isolated country.
“Actions of Pyongyang that it thinks will lead to recognizing its nuclear status are unacceptable for us,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said by telephone in Xiamen, where the leaders of Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa are meeting. “We are still convinced that the problem of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula can be solved only through dialog.”
He also said it's "premature" to talk about imposing new sanctions against North Korea.
The government in Pyongyang said it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, with “unprecedentedly big power,” that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, in its first nuclear test since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Trump has threatened North Korea with “fire and fury” in response to its recent missile tests.
Russia's Foreign Ministry, in a separate statement, said North Korean actions created a serious threat to peace and security in the region.
“A continuation of this line is fraught with serious consequences” for North Korea, according to the statement.
The ministry called for composure and a return to dialog as “the only possible” way of resolving the tensions on the Korean peninsula.
In Vladivostok, the nearest Russian city to North Korea, apartment buildings and furniture inside apartments trembled earlier Sunday, state-run television channel Rossia 24 reported.
To contact the reporters on this story: Ilya Arkhipov in Xiamen at iarkhipov@bloomberg.net, Anatoly Medetsky in Moscow at amedetsky@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Thomasson at lthomasson@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, James Amott
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
