Merkel, Trump call for tougher sanctions on N.Korea after nuke test

BERLIN - 5 September 2017: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump condemned Pyongyang's latest nuclear test in telephone talks on Monday and agreed that the United Nations Security Council would have to adopt stricter sanctions on North Korea, the German government said in a press release.

"The main focus of the telephone call was yesterday's North Korean nuclear test. Both agreed that the test of a hydrogen bomb means a new and unacceptable escalation by the North Korean regime," the government said, citing spokesman Steffen Seibert.

Merkel and Trump said that the international community would continue putting pressure on Pyongyang and that the UNSC would soon have to adopt new, tougher sanctions, Sputnik reported.

Merkel added that Berlin would advocate additional, stricter sanctions on Pyongyang within the European Union.