Russian Senator Views Any US Military Action in N Korea as a Security Threat

A key senator in Russia's Federation Council has declared that any US attempt to wage war against North Korea would be assessed by Moscow as an "openly hostile" action towards Russia, due to the fact that Russia and North Korea share a border.

MOSCOW(Sputnik) — Any US attempt to go to war with North Korea will by regarded by Moscow as "openly hostile" towards Russia, Frants Klintsevich, the first deputy chairman of the Russian upper house's Committee on Defense and Security, said Wednesday, commenting on recent US remarks on the North Korean issue.

In his address to the UN General Assembly on September 19, US President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary. In response, the North Korean leader warned Washington of the "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history."

"It would not be worthless to warn the US: any attempts to start a war in close proximity to Russia's borders threaten its security, and therefore will be regarded by us as an openly hostile action towards our country, with all the consequences that come with it," Klintsevich said, as quoted by his press service.

The situation on the Korean peninsula has escalated in recent months after Pyongyang carried out several ballistic missile and nuclear tests in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions. Russia has repeatedly stated that the crisis should be settled through dialogue between all the parties concerned and in accordance with the UN resolutions.