Russia agrees NoKo's nukes are a 'direct threat'

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin told his counterparts and other experts from 39 countries that Pyongyang's missile defense system "has a real function."

It isn't made of wood, and it isn't just for show.

"That is why it is alarming; and it's a direct threat to Russia," he said. "We are convinced that it will increase the tensions of the region. That is our principle position."

Russia and North Korea were once close allies but Putin has agreed to new, tough sanctions against the hermit nation.

Russian deputy U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov reaffirmed this commitment, 'the choice here has to be made in favor of using diplomatic tools to the maximum extent possible."

U.S. SecDef James Mattis said, at the same conference, that North Korea presented a "clear and present danger."

China blocked tough new sanctions against the rogue nation Friday at the U.N. Security Council that the United States had called for, evidently not committed to changes in the status quo.

However, the Security Council voted unanimously to add 15 individuals and four entities linked to the North's missile programs to a U.N. sanctions blacklist.



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