Russian President Vladimir Putin and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron agreed in a phone call Friday that resuming direct talks with North Korea was the only way to resolve tensions over its nuclear programme, the Kremlin said.

In a statement, the Kremlin said the leaders "were united in the opinion that it was unacceptable to allow an escalation in tension" and that the crisis needed to be resolved "exclusively through political and diplomatic means, by restarting direct negotiations".