US fears Russia is changing stance on N. Korea's nuke arms

The United States voiced alarm at the United Nations Security Council on Dec 18 that Russia was close to accepting a nuclear-armed North Korea, as Moscow and Pyongyang defended their growing cooperation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in September that Moscow viewed the notion of "denuclearising" North Korea as a closed issue, as it understood Pyongyang's logic of relying on nuclear weapons as the foundation of its defence.

"Alarmingly, we assess that Russia may be close to accepting North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, reversing Moscow's decades-long commitment to denuclearise the Korean peninsula," said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

"We believe that Moscow will become more reluctant not only to criticise Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons, but also further obstruct passage of sanctions or resolutions condemning North Korea's destabilising behaviour," she said.

South Korea and Britain both criticised Mr Lavrov's remarks, saying he had undermined the global non-proliferation regime.