Russia accused the United States on Thursday of trying to provoke North Korean leader Kim Jong Un into “flying off the handle” over his missile programme to hand Washington a pretext to destroy his country. Russia has condemned the test, like others before it, as “a provocation,” but Lavrov said the way the United States was handling the situation was dangerously provocative. Moscow sells oil products to North Korea and thousands of North Korean workers toil in Russia, sending remittances back to the authorities in Pyongyang. Lavrov said Haley’s call for the world to isolate North Korea was wrong. “We have already said many times that sanctions pressure has exhausted itself.”He also complained that the United States was “totally ignoring” a UN demand for talks with North Korea.

Source: Dhaka Tribune November 30, 2017 15:56 UTC