Moscow Says US 'Not Ready' To Work Constructively With North Korea To Settle Crisis

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2022) The United States is not ready to take steps toward constructive dialogue with North Korea to settle the ongoing crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"Due to the unwillingness of the US to take practical constructive steps toward Pyongyang, there has been no progress in resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula," Lavrov said in a video address to the participants of the Moscow Conference on Nonproliferation.

Last month, North Korea launched what was identified as a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, also known as "monster rocket" capable of reaching the US mainland. The South Korean military reported that the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and reached an altitude of 6,100 kilometers at a maximum speed of Mach 22, which is 22 times faster than the speed of sound.

According to Japanese officials, the missile fell about 200 kilometers west of Hokkaido's Oshima Island, within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The new launch came a day after North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan and warned the US and its allies that Pyongyang would respond proportionally to Washington's bolstering of extended deterrence.

North Korea has conducted dozens of missile test launches since the start of 2022, several missiles at once on some occasions. On November 2, North Korea launched more than 20 short-range missiles. Pyongyang has said that North Korea's military-related activities are in response to provocations by the US, South Korea and Japan.