‘The President cannot imagine Russia is pleased’: Trump brings Putin into North Korea crisis after Kim Jong-un fired a missile towards Japan that landed 60 miles south of Vladivostok
North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday
The White House responded to the test launch by stating: ‘North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long’
The statement added that ‘the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased,’ noting that the missile landed closer to Russia than Japan
The test-launch by North Korea is the first since liberal president Moon Jae-in took office in South Korea on Wednesday
North Korea is reportedly willing to talk to the Trump administration regarding its weapons ‘under the right conditions’
By AMANDA ULRICH
DAILYMAIL.COM
14 May 2017
Donald Trump made an unexpected reference to Russia after North Korea fired a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday.
‘The President has been briefed on the latest missile test by North Korea,’ a statement from the White House read.
‘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.
‘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 concluded.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in Beijing for a two-day ‘Belt and Road’ conference hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The missile took off from Kusong, which is northwest of Pyongyang, where North Korea previously test-launched an intermediate-range missile.
US Pacific Command says the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The projectile was launched at around 5.30am on Sunday and flew about 435 miles, according to South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff. Other reports claim the missile traveled 500 miles.
‘The South and US are analyzing more details about the missile,’ it said in a statement without elaborating. It is thought that the missile reached an altitude of 1,250 miles.
North Korea attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four consecutive times in the past two months. Nevertheless, the country has conducted a variety of missile testings since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace.
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