The U.S. State Department has urged China and Russia to play a role in persuading North Korea to stop its provocations and return to dialogue after Pyongyang invited the two nations to events marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement.

Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, issued the position on Tuesday during a press briefing when asked about the invitations.

Patel said that the U.S. has repeatedly stressed that China and Russia have a potential role to play, including through the UN Security Council, in compelling the North to refrain from threatening and unlawful behavior.

Expressing concern that the regime’s conduct will not just incite tensions in the immediate region but also in the broader region, he added that the two neighbors also have roles in encouraging Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table.

The spokesperson stressed that the U.S. remains open to meeting with North Korea without preconditions and maintains its commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The North announced on Tuesday that it has invited Chinese and Russian delegations to events in the country to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the armistice agreement signed on July 27, 1953 that halted the Korean War, known in the country as “Victory Day.”