Russia says military force against North Korea should be excluded

Russia's deputy U.N. envoy on Wednesday said military force should not be considered against North Korea and also called for a halt to the deployment of a U.S. missile defense system in South Korea.

"The possibility of taking military measures to resolve the problems of the Korean peninsula should be excluded," said Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov. "We express our support to the idea of North and South Korea engaging in dialogue and consultations."

He also said that attempts to economically strangle North Korea are "unacceptable" and that sanctions will not resolve the issue.

Earlier on Wednesday, the United States warned it was ready to use force "if we must" to stop North Korea's nuclear missile program but said it prefers global diplomatic action against Pyongyang for Tuesday's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).