US president Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron pledged on a phone call on Saturday to work to denuclearize the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and Trump again invoked the grim possibility of "military measures" if other steps should fail.
Trump's latest warning came amid a flurry of international calls – from China as well as Russia, Germany, Britain and the UN – for the president to show greater rhetorical restraint.
A White House statement said President Trump and French President Macron discussed "the increasingly dangerous situation associated with DPRK's destabilizing and escalatory behavior."
US President Donald Trump (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron watch an Italian flying squadron as part of activities at the G7 Summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 26, 2017. /Reuters Photo
It added that the US and its allies were ready "to apply the full range of diplomatic, economic and military measures" to end any threat.
But Macron, while expressing "concern at the ballistic and nuclear threat" from DPRK, said world leaders needed to get Pyongyang to "resume the path of dialogue without conditions," joining the international voices urging caution.
Trump's call with Macron came hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping urged restraint in a separate phone call with the US president.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Xi urged Trump to avoid "words and deeds" that would "exacerbate" the already tense situation and to seek a political settlement.
Seoul expressed appreciation for Xi and Trump's phone call Saturday.
"We hope today's phone conversation between the two leaders will provide a momentum to defuse the highest-ever tension and to shift into a new phase of resolving the issue," said a statement from South Korean President Moon Jae-in's office.
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