Russia’s incoming ambassador to UN said on Wednesday that sanctions would not resolve the North Korean issue, stressing instead the need for dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington.

“Sanctions… will not solve the problem but political dialogue will, which encourages all the participants primarily North Korea and the U.S. to engage…,” Vassily Nebenzia said in comments to press in New York. “This is the difficult thing.”

“This is a difficult thing and no easy solution, but in our view the only way to effectively break the deadlock — it’s a very dangerous one we agree.”

Bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow