The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that it couldn't understand the US appeals to increase pressure on North Korea amid the latter's readiness for a dialogue, Sputnik reported.
"We are bewildered by the incessant calls of the United States and their allies 'to continue to increase pressure on North Korea" even while Pyongyang shows readiness for a constructive dialogue on the Korean crisis settlement," the ministry said in a statement.
"This policy is extremely counterproductive and can undermine the progress achieved on this track recently," the statement said.
US President Donald Trump announced the day before that he would hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on June 12 in Singapore. The location of the upcoming meeting was revealed hours after three American prisoners were released by North Korea and came back to the United States.