Using Situation With N Korea to Gain Military Advantage 'Unacceptable' – Moscow

Russia considers that taking advantage of the situation with North Korea in order to gain unilateral military advantage and justify the flow of arms to the region of Northeast Asia is “unacceptable,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow is convinced that only political and diplomatic tools, taking into account the concern of all involved sides, may lead to peace and stability in the region, Zakharova noted.

"We consider it unacceptable to use the ongoing situation in North Korea in order to achieve unilateral military advantage and massive flow of new types of arms to the region," the spokeswoman said at the press briefing.

"We do not see an alternative to the collective search of a new constructive strategy to quit the current deadlock within the framework of common military and political detente and dismantling of confrontational architecture in the region," Zakharova added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on March 8 suggested that North Korea stop launches of its missiles and halt development of nuclear program in exchange for the termination of military drills conducted by the United States and South Korea. However, the proposal was rejected by the United States.

The calls from Moscow and Beijing to stop the military buildup in the region and start the dialogue come amid a recent announcement about the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in South Korea, which is designed to intercept short, medium and intermediate ballistic missiles.

Seoul and Washington first agreed to deploy THAAD in July 2016 amid South Korea’s growing unease about the nuclear program of North Korea that continues tests of ballistic missiles.