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Russia is blaming the United States and its allies for the latest ballistic missile testing by North Korea that was conducted earlier today. According to official communications from Pyongyang, the missile is a new type of ICBM Hwasong-15 capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, which reached an altitude of 4,475 km and traveled about 1000 km before plunging into the Sea of Japan. This is the first missile testing conducted by the isolated country since September and Russia are blaming the U.S. and allies for failure to show restraint as they continue military drill in the peninsula.
Senator Kosachev, chair of Russia's Foreign Affairs Committee said, “It’s a fact that during the past two months North Korea has been demonstrating restraint and did not provoke the international community by any means. Pyongyang, most likely, expected the same restraint in response on part of the West, both in judgments and actions”. So the missile launch was a likely reminder to the U.S. and its allies that North remains ready for a full-scale war if provoked.
According to the deputy head of the Russian upper house Committee for Defense and Security, Frants Klintsevich that it is highly likely that the missile test was conducted to test the reaction from Washington, “I don’t know what is the concrete underlying cause of the test. I don’t rule out that in this case, it was a kind of a ‘trial balloon’ launch to see the reaction of the opposite side”. He added that he hopes that Washington would have the wisdom to refrain from any further retaliatory actions.
Both Russia and China have tried to advance proposals calling for restraint on both sides. The plan, known as ‘double freeze’ calls on Pyongyang to stop conducting missile and nuclear test in exchange for a stop in joint military drills by the United States and South Korea in the peninsula. The United States has repeatedly turned down the proposal.
