Moscow, Russia. As tensions become more intense after today’s ballistic missile launch by North Korea, Russia has its eye on other missiles and they are not North Korean, but made in the USA.
The Russian Federation calls on the United States and South Korea to reconsider the advisability of deploying a missile defense system in the Korean Penninsular region. This was stated by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gennadiy Gatilov, announced. According to Gatilov, this step is destabilizing.
“An additional destabilizing factor in the region is the decision taken last year by Washington and Seoul in the wake of the vicious logic of creating a global missile defense system, the decision to deploy elements of the US missile defense system THAAD on the territory of the Republic of Korea,” Gatilov added at a meeting of the UN Security Council.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson noted that Moscow repeatedly warned that such a move “to put it mildly, will not inspire Pyongyang’s enthusiasm, and generally undermines the existing military balance in the region as a whole.”
“We once again urge both the U.S. and the Republic of Korea to reconsider its advisability, and the other nations in the region and not to succumb to the temptation to get involved in such destabilizing efforts,” Gatilov concluded.
The USA has deployed a number of THAAD missile systems, primarily around the Seoul area. Reaction has included public rioting and a loss of billions of dollars in tourist revenue from Chinese tourists boycotting the decision.