A U.S. government official urged China and Russia to send "a strong message" to North Korea after the country resumed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing this week.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Jalina Porter, speaking to reporters before a U.N. Security Council meeting, said the March 25 launch of the ICBM by North Korea was a "brazen" violation of Security Council resolutions, Reuters reports. The Security Council was meeting to discuss the launch, North Korea's first test of an ICBM since 2017, according to Reuters.
"China and Russia should send a strong message to (North Korea) to refrain from additional provocations," Porter said at the briefing, Reuters reports.
Porter said the Security Council is still in the "early stages" of deliberations on North Korea's ICBM test. "There have been developments that should be of concern to all countries, particularly those who share a border with the DPRK," Porter said, calling North Korea's resumption of missile tests a "clear escalation," according to Reuters. DPRK are the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said the tests were designed to demonstrate the might of its nuclear force and deter any U.S. military move, Reuters reports. The U.N. Security Council placed sanctions against North Korea after its 2017 ICBM tests; however, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set it and China at odds with the U.S. and its allies, complicating the U.N. response to North Korea, according to Reuters.
Despite the hurdles, the State Department's Porter appealed for unity in confronting North Korea.
"We urge all countries to hold the DPRK accountable for such violations," Porter said, "and we also call on the DPRK to come to the table for serious negotiations."
