Asia

Kremlin Unaware of Letter Saying DPRK Was Ready to Conduct Nuclear Strike on US

The letter that the North Korean delegation has submitted through Russian upper house speaker Valentina Matvienko to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Pyongyang was prepared to conduct a nuclear strike against the United States, a source familiar with the talks told Sputnik.
Sputnik

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday he was unaware of a letter that was sent from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Vladimir Putin.

The development comes shortly after the source close to the October talks told Sputnik that Washington changed its stance on the North Korean issue after it had been informed about the content of the letter.

READ MORE: US May in Fact Lose War Against North Korea, Ex-Pentagon Commander Says

'Do Not Try Us': Trump Warns North Korea, Offers 'Path to a Much Better Future'
The letter, Valentina Matvienko has said, was handed over to her by the North Korean delegation at the Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly that was held earlier in October.

The news about the possible nuclear strike against the US comes as Vladimir Putin said at a press-conference on Saturday that Russia and China have the same view on the DPRK crisis, saying that both Moscow and Beijing call for dialogue. The president has also said that it was essential to "first of all, halt the rhetoric, then halt all the manifestations of aggression from all the sides, and sitting down at the negotiating table eventually" to find solution to the unfolding crisis.

APEC Summit Highlights: Uncertainty Over Trade Policies, Syria Breakthrough
The North Korean issue was on US President Donald Trump's agenda on his visit to the Asian countries, his longest foreign trip since the inauguration. Prior to the tour, that includes visits to countries including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam and China, Trump said he hoped that Vladimir Putin would help resolve the North Korean crisis.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has worsened sharply in the recent months as Pyongyang conducted its sixth nuclear test in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.

Discuss