Trump Weighs ‘Pretty Severe Things’ for North Korea Over Launch

EghtesadOnline: President Donald Trump said he is contemplating some "pretty severe things" to retaliate against North Korea after it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile this week that brings it closer to being able to hit the U.S. mainland.

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06 July 2017

“I have some pretty severe things we’re thinking about," Trump said at a news conference in Warsaw. "Doesn’t mean we’re going to do them. I don’t draw red lines."

"It’s a shame they’re behaving this way and they’re behaving in a very dangerous manner, and something will have to be done about it," Bloomberg quoted Trump as saying.

Graphic: North Korea's Nuclear Push Closes In on U.S.

Trump, who spoke alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda, offered no details about what he is considering and did not answer a question directly about whether he is contemplating the use of military force. Earlier in the news conference, he said he is calling on all nations to "publicly demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences for their very, very bad behavior."

Trump once again declined to say that it was only Russia that was involved in hacking the 2016 presidential election ahead of his meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday. U.S. intelligence agencies have blamed the Russian government but Trump has stopped short of laying blame squarely with the Kremlin.

"I think it was Russia, I think it could have been other countries," Trump said. "I won’t be specific."

He added: "So it was Russia and it was probably others also, and that’s probably been going on for a long period of time."

Talking to Putin

Trump’s aides have refused to say for certain that Trump will raise the issue with Putin directly.

On North Korea, U.S. officials confirmed that the country launched its first successful intercontinental ballistic missile test this week, just days before Trump was scheduled to travel to Europe for the G-20 summit in Germany.

The test, which follows several missile launches in recent months, has drawn the rebuke of several world leaders and increased pressure on Trump to take action to back up his rhetoric against the regime of Kim Jong Un.

Trump has previously said that “the era of strategic patience with the North Korea regime has failed’’ and “is over.”

Trump has said all options including military force are available against Pyongyang, though its neighbors warn a strike could be disastrous for North Asia. South Korea’s new government favors talks to bring Kim to heel, also putting it potentially at odds with Trump’s administration.

North Korea’s pursuit of a nuclear-tipped warhead capable of reaching the U.S. is likely to be a significant topic during the G-20. Trump is scheduled to have bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-In and Putin. Each of those leaders have spoken out against North Korea’s provocations, and Trump has leaned on China in particular to rein in the rogue regime but acknowledged recently that it’s not working.