Lavrov, Tillerson Discuss Latest N Korean Missile Test in Phone Talks

The Russian foreign minister discussed with his US counterpart the situation on the Korean Peninsula in light of the latest North Korean missile test.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US State Secretary Rex Tillerson discussed in a phone call on Thursday the situation on the Korean Peninsula in light of the latest North Korean missile test, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The sides exchanged assessments of the situation on the Korean Peninsula in the context of the preparation of the UN Security Council's reaction to the Pyongyang's missile launch on July 28," the ministry said in a statement.

"Lavrov called on the conflicting parties to exercise restraint and to resume the negotiation process as soon as possible," the statement said.

On July 28, North Korea announced its second test of Hwasong-14, calling it a success. The ICBM's projectile reached the altitude of 3,725 kilometers (2,314 miles) and traveled 998 kilometers for about 47 minutes, according to reports. It fell into the Sea of Japan. China, Japan, South Korea and the United States have already condemned the missile test.

While the US, South Korea and Japan believe that North Korea launched an ICBM, the Russian Defense Ministry challenged their data, saying that based on technical characteristics of the missile, it was medium-range.