Kremlin 'deeply concerned' by rising tension on Korean peninsula

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow is deeply concerned by the escalation of tension on the Korean peninsula caused by the continued war of words between the United States and North Korea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. "Moscow is convinced that there is no alternative to a political and diplomatic settlement of the North Korean problem," he told a conference call with reporters. He said the situation was being further aggravated by "the swapping of silly statements full of threats". The Kremlin was reacting to U.S. President Donald Trump's statement in which he vowed to destroy North Korea, leading the reclusive nation to declare that it might test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean. (Reporting by Polina Nikolskaya; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)