Russia is encouraged by a lull in North Korean weapon tests. It could end up disappointed.
2017-11-28 09:21:58 source：The Washington Post
November 27, 2017
In South Korea on Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov warned that the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become “apocalyptic” but added that he had one key reason to be hopeful: North Korea had not tested any weapons in more than two months.
“We greatly value that North Korea preserves the regime of silence for two months already, and Russia actively works to make sure that the current regime continues as long as possible,” Morgulov said at the opening of the annual Valdai Club Asian Regional Conference in Seoul, according to Russian news reports. The Valdai Discussion Club is a think tank based in Russia.
Moreover, Morgulov pointed toward this lull in activity as a positive sign for a “freeze for freeze” agreement with Pyongyang — a de-escalation plan favored by Russia and China. It calls for North Korea to freeze its missile and nuclear tests in return for the United States and South Korea suspending their annual joint military exercises.
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