Russia warns US against 'unilateral action' on North Korea

Russia has warned the United States against any "unilateral action" against North Korea, saying any response to Pyongyang's nuclear activities should not violate "international law," amid reports of potential military confrontation between North Korea and the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remarks at a news conference in Moscow on Monday, a few hours after US Vice President Mike Pence said the era of "strategic patience" with the North was over, warning Pyongyang not to test US President Donald Trump’s resolve over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“This is a very risky path. We do not accept the reckless nuclear missile actions of Pyongyang that breach UN resolutions, but that does not mean that you can break international law,” Lavrov said, adding that he hoped there would not be any "unilateral actions like the one we saw recently in Syria.”

The top Russian diplomat was referring to the recent US attack on Shayrat Airfield in Syria's Homs Province with a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles, fired from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, which caused some 15 fatalities, including civilians.

During recent weeks, tensions between North Korea and the US have increased, raising fears of a potential military confrontation between the two sides. Washington has voiced concern over Pyongyang’s tests, but the North says such launches are an act of deterrence against a potential invasion by the US or South Korea.

On Monday, Pence, while standing alongside South Korea’s acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, in Seoul, vowed that Washington's commitment to its ally against any possible aggression by the North was “iron-clad and immutable,” reiterating that "all options are on the table," including military offensive, to forestall Pyongyang's quest to make a nuclear weapon capable of striking the US mainland.  

Last week, a US aircraft carrier-led strike group set course for the Western Pacific Ocean close to the Korean Peninsula amid growing fears over the North’s weapons tests.

SS