MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian high-ranking diplomat stressed that "escalation is unacceptable" in light of the United States sending a naval group led by US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to the Korean Peninsula earlier this month.
"We again turn to Washington with an appeal, like other capitals in the region, to show maximum restraint and be guided by logic, no matter what dates we mark," Ryabkov said.
The news comes as Japan sent two destroyers for drills with the US carrier group. Two Maritime Self-Defense Force ships have left the Sasebo naval base in Nagasaki to meet up with the USS Carl Vinson-led group for joint drills following fresh ballistic missile tests in North Korea, The Japan Times reported.
After it turned out that the Carl Vinson deployed to deter North Korea did not reach the Sea of Japan reportedly because White House and Pentagon failed to communicate effectively and was spotted near Indonesia, it was reported that it will finally reach the Korean Peninsula later this month. The armada's current location is unknown.
Earlier, the North Korean General Staff threatened Washington with a "preemptive strike" in case of any "US' provocation;" it also vowed to strike US military bases in South Korea, Japan, the US itself and the Carl Vinson destroyer.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches conducted in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions.