The UN Security Council held a closed door meeting on Thursday to discuss North Korea's recent launch of short-range projectiles.

The meeting, originally called to discuss the situation in Syria, discussed North Korea as an additional subject.

After the meeting, the UN ambassadors of five European nations -- permanent members the United Kingdom and France and non-permanent members Germany, Belgium and Estonia -- issued a joint statement condemning North Korea's action.

Reading the statement, German Ambassador to the U.N. Christoph Heusgen said the five countries were "deeply concerned by the testing of ballistic missiles." 

Condemning the launch, they added such actions "undermine regional security and stability, as well as international peace and security, and they are in clear violation of unanimously adopted U.N. Security Council resolutions."

The United States did not participate in the statement and appears to have taken a cautious stance during the closed-door discussion. When asked on Tuesday how Washington would respond to the launch, U.S. President Donald Trump said his country does not respond to short-range missile tests.