Sanctions will not make North Korea abandon its nuclear program, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
The Russian leader pointed to the story of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. “I have held some private conversations with my colleagues here, I don’t think there is a need to hide it, so I will reiterate what I said in private conversations and at official meetings, as everybody should hear it,” Putin said. According to him, “it should be clear for any reasonable person.” “Everybody remembers what happened to Saddam Hussein. He had abandoned the production of weapons of mass destruction but nevertheless, under the pretext of searching for such weapons, Hussein and his family members were killed during the well-known military operation, even children died – his grandson was shot, if I remember right,” Putin noted.
“The country [Iraq] lies in ruins, Saddam Hussein was hanged. Listen, it is a thing that everybody knows and remembers. North Korea knows and remembers it, too,” Putin said. “Do you think, some sanctions will make North Korea change its plans to create weapons of mass destruction?” Putin said.
“Russia condemns North Korea’s tests, we believe that them to be provocative,” Putin stated. However, in his view, the lessons of Iraq and Libya should be remembered. “North Korea will be the last to forget them,” he stressed. The Russian president pointed out that “the use of sanctions in this case is useless and inefficient.”