Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly called the notion of denuclearizing North Korea a "closed issue," saying Moscow stands with Pyongyang against Washington and its allies.

According to Reuters and Russia’s Sputnik news agency, Lavrov made the remarks Thursday in response to a question on the Russian foreign ministry’s website.

He reportedly said Russia would stand alongside North Korea in resisting what the U.S. calls “expanded nuclear deterrence” with South Korea and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region.

Calling the U.S. approach “a real and extremely serious threat to regional security,” Lavrov was quoted as saying the term “denuclearization” as applied to North Korea had lost all meaning.
 
Voicing opposition to what he called the "senseless" imposition of sanctions on North Korea by Western countries, he said Moscow would stand with Pyongyang in confronting a “joint adversary” and would “consistently strengthen friendship and cooperation” with Pyongyang.