Putin: North Koreans 'will eat grass but will not give up nuclear programme'

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North Koreans would rather "eat grass" then give up their nuclear weapons programme, Vladimir Putin has said.

The Russian President condemned North Korea's latest military test, but also warned against using military force against the country, calling it a "road to nowhere" that could lead to a "global catastrophe."

North Korea conducted its most powerful nuclear test to date on Sunday, triggering US warnings of a "massive military response."

Rattled by the test, South Korea conducted live-fire exercises at sea in its second straight day of military display.

While Mr Putin condemned the North's nuclear test as "provocative," he stopped short of expressing willingness to impose more sanctions on North Korea, saying Moscow views them as "useless and ineffective."

Mr Putin said North Korea's neighbours should engage with it, not whip up "military hysteria."

"It's a road to nowhere. Whipping up military hysteria — this will lead to no good," he said. "It could cause a global catastrophe and an enormous loss of life."

The Russian president, who was in China for a summit of leading emerging economies, told reporters he had remarked to one of his counterparts at the talks that North Korea "will eat grass but will not give up the [nuclear] programme if they don't feel safe."

He said it was important that all parties affected by the crisis, including North Korea, not face "threats of annihilation" and "step on the path of cooperation."