Putin, Macron agree 'negotiations' the only way to defuse tensions

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed in a phone call on Friday that resuming direct talks with North Korea was the only way to resolve tensions over its nuclear programme, the Kremlin said. In a statement, the Kremlin said the two leaders "were united in the opinion that it was unacceptable to allow an escalation in tension." The crisis needs to be resolved "exclusively through political and diplomatic means, by restarting direct negotiations," they reportedly said. Both Putin and Macron "decisively condemned the provocative" firing by North Korea of a ballistic missile yesterday over Japan and into the Pacific, the statement said. The latest launch came days after the UN slapped new sanctions on Pyongyang following its sixth nuclear test earlier this month.In the statement, the Kremlin said that during Putin's talk with Macron "it was underlined that an adequate response to Pyongyang's irresponsible steps was taken" by the UN.