North Korea crisis: Russia called in to referee USA nuclear missiles talks
NORTH Korea will enter talks with the US over its nuclear weapons programme - if Russia will come to the table, politicians in Moscow have claimed.
PUBLISHED: 12:44, Sat, Dec 2, 2017 | UPDATED: 15:02, Sat, Dec 2, 2017
Kim Jong-un’s regime is demanding representatives from the Kremlin be involved if Pyongyang and Washington are to negotiate.
Vitaly Pashin, a member of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) claimed Kim is ready to talk to the Trump administration just days after launching a missile capable of reaching the US mainland.
He told Russian news agency TASS Kim is ready and willing to talk to US President Donald Trump, but the Putin administration will be called in.
Mr Pashin said: "North Korea is currently ready to conduct negotiations with the US with the participation of Russia as a third party."
But talks between Mr Trump and Kim have so far been limited to sabre-rattling threats over social media and through state propaganda.
Mr Trump has repeatedly branded Kim "little Rocket Man" and the Korean dictator has fired back, calling the US President a "dotard".
The Russian parliamentary delegation which visited North Korea and the Government this week, has returned to Moscow to report on the escalating situation, which many have claimed could lead to World War 3.
Hermit leader Kim has refused to stop his nuclear weapons programme and has been test firing over Japan - repeatedly violating UN Security Council resolutions.
The regime claimed it could hit the mainland US with a nuke and threatened to attack Guam, a US overseas territory.
Mr Trump promised he would “deal with” the North and bring “fire and fury” upon it if the US is threatened.
China has imposed trading sanctions on the nation yet Kim has not stopped. ust days ago Russian Royal Marines were deployed to the North Korean border.
Then, Moscow refused to cut ties with Kim and attacked the US and its “provocation”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “It’s as if the recent actions of the United States are consciously directed to provoke Pyongyang towards other radical actions.”
Mr Pashin echoed the sentiment, claiming the North is looking for allies and has been backed into a corner by US actions.
He said: “The North Korean leadership noted that the country is regularly subjected to external aggression on the part of the US."
North Korea recently fired its third Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed a Hwasong-15 advanced missile reached an altitude of 4,475 km and covered a distance of 950 km within 53 minutes of its flight.
Pashin said: ”According to North Korean representatives, they were forced to demonstrate the ability to adequately respond to any aggression from the US, the ability to strike at any territory of America.
“This is the first missile launch since the last one carried out by North Korea on September 15. Since then, Pyongyang had refrained from military provocations for 75 days awaiting reciprocal steps from the US, which, instead of meeting [North Korea] halfway, announced large-scale surprise military drills."
"We are against the escalation of the conflict and for a peaceful resolution of the issue through negotiations. That said, I fully support the position of our president and the Foreign Ministry on the issue."
