Vladimir Putin has condemned North Korea’s recent launch of a ballistic missile over Japan. <br /><br />After his meeting with the Russian President at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the two leaders agreed Pyongyang’s latest nuclear test posed a severe threat to both regional peace and global nuclear non-proliferation. <br /><br />Putin’s disapproval stopped short of sanctions, however<br /><br />He said “Resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula [...] is only possible through political and diplomatic means. First we need to dial down general tensions and then to begin dialogue between all interested parties, as proposed in the Russian-Chinese road map of gradual settlement.”<br /><br />No global consensus<br /><br />China also continues to favour a diplomatic solution.<br /><br />After President Xi stressed the importance of negotations in a call with the US President earlier this week, however, Donald Trump expressed some scepticism about this approach and refused to rule out military action.<br /><br />With very little common ground, global leaders are struggling to agree an approach to an increasingly bellicose Kim Jong-Un.<br /><br />President Xi Jinping and German Chancellor Angela Merkel talk on the phone about denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and bilateral ties. pic.twitter.com/HXBr5B47aR— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) September 7, 2017<br />
