The situation on the Korean Peninsula is characterized by an unprecedented level of tension, there is a growing danger of sliding toward an unprovoked conflict, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Oleg Burmistrov told Sputnik Thursday.
"The situation on the Korean Peninsula is characterized by an unprecedented level of tension, there is a growing danger of slipping into an armed conflict, unprovoked, but which may begin due to accidental circumstances," Burmistrov said.
The ambassador noted that in North-East Asia "so many various weapons have been accumulated, that in itself it [the region] is a powder keg."
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The ambassador noted that the implementation of a military option by the US against North Korea to solve the situation will lead to a catastrophe of an unprecedented scale since this region is the most militarized in the world.
"As for whether there are any other plans for solving the problem of the Korean Peninsula, then yes, they are. For example, there is a so-called military option in the United States. This, of course, is not a document, but everyone has repeatedly heard from the US officials that a military option exists, although it is not a priority. The phrase is subject to various reservations, but nevertheless, the military option, as a solution to the problems of the peninsula, exists in the minds of the US elite, and we cannot ignore it as well," the ambassador said, adding that the outcome of such an option would be a catastrophe of an unprecedented scale.
According to the official, the US military option could also result in an even more dangerous nuclear scenario of the conflict.
“Besides, [it could be] the catastrophe of the scale, never before seen in the human history. Because we are talking not only about a major military conflict but also about a conflict that potentially has a nuclear component,” Burmistrov stressed.
Due to such dangerous potential, it is crucial for the global community to do everything to prevent the catastrophe from taking place on the peninsula, the ambassador underlined.
“Now we are in the face of a major military conflict, which can become a reality if the military solution plan is implemented. And we need to do everything possible to prevent this from happening,” the official said.
On US Provocations
Speaking further, Burmistrov noted that the drills conducted by the US in the region provoked North Korea to continue missile and nuclear tests, thus leading to a complete economic blockade of the country.
The ambassador added that Russia had not received a response from the United States on how such steps brought the global community closer to a settlement on the Korean Peninsula.
"All the more strange are the ideas that have now been adopted in the US administration… to increase pressure, including in the military area. Such actions may have a backlash, inadequate in the military sense. If the United States is going there [to a backlash], then there is consistency and logic in their words and expressions. If they do not want this, we urge to return to diplomatic options, this is easy to do," Burmistrov said.
On a Roadmap to Settle the Crisis
According to Burmistrov, Washington and Pyongyang have not rejected the Russia-China roadmap on North Korea, they are ready to work on it, but on certain conditions.
"Our plan, first of all, regarding the manifestation of mutual military restraint, is not rejected by any of the parties. A certain paradox is, perhaps, that their [US and North Korean] attitude toward our plan is very similar. Namely — neither yes, nor no," Burmistrov said.
He said the roadmap remains the only settlement plan as of today, with no other plans realistic or optimal.
North Korea has not halted their missile tests in the face of significant international pressure, most recently testing a long-range ballistic missile in late November, claiming that its only guarantee of safety is the ability to respond to any nuclear attack in kind. Its latest missile is claimed to be capable of striking anywhere in the United States.
