WASHINGTON, May 14 (Sputnik) — The US presidential administration cannot say that Moscow is pleased with the latest missile test by North Korea, as it was carried out close to the Russian borders, the White Hose said in a statement Sunday.
"The President [Donald Trump] has been briefed on the latest missile test by North Korea. With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil – in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan – the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the statement said.
The White House also said in the statement that the international community should impose more strict sanctions against North Korea over the latest missile test.
"North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long. South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with us. The United States maintains our ironclad commitment to stand with our allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the statement said.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the missile presumably flew for 30 minutes not reaching the Japanese exclusive economic zone.
At the same time, the US Pacific Command said that it had detected and tracked the North Korean missile launch, but there was no confirmation that it was an intercontinental ballistic missile. The Command added that the missile did not threaten the security of North America.
Japanese media reported earlier on Sunday citing government sources that the maximum flight altitude of the North Korean missile amounted to over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
