Merkel, Trump call for tougher U.N. sanctions against North Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump, front right, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, arrive for a working session at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017

BERLIN, Reuters, Sept. 4, 2017 - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump condemned North Korea’s nuclear test during on Monday and urged the United Nations to quickly agree on tougher sanctions against Pyongyang, a German government spokesman said.

“Both agreed that the test of a hydrogen bomb means a new and unacceptable escalation by the North Korean regime,” Steffen Seibert said in a statement after they spoke by telephone.

“The German chancellor and the American president expressed the view that the international community must continue to exert pressure on the regime in North Korea and that the United Nations Security Council has to quickly adopt further and stricter sanctions,” Seibert added.

For her part, Merkel told Trump that Germany would push for tougher sanctions against North Korea by the European Union , Seibert said, adding: “The aim is to dissuade North Korea from its violations of international law and to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict.”