TENS of thousands of Americans will die if Donald Trump attacks North Korea, Russia has warned.
There are around 250,000 Americans living in South Korea who could all be placed at great risk if a conflict broke out, it is claimed.
Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolay Patrushev, made the warning as he slammed Mr Trump’s “cold war mentality”.
He said: "The United States is not accustomed to regarding the lives of other countries’ citizens to achieve its goals.
“However, Washington certainly cannot fail to take into account the fact that 250,000 Americans live in South Korea.
"In the event of large-scale military operations on the Korean Peninsula, tens of thousands of US citizens will die.
”Such losses are called unacceptable in the language of the military in all countries."
Kim Jong-un’s regime has based its main artillery and missile sites around 50km from Seoul.
It is thought that, should an attack on Pyongyang take place, the South would be under severe threat from the tyrant’s arsenal of deadly weapons.
And Mr Patrushev claimed that recent joint military drills between the US and Seoul were only increasing the risk.
He warned: "North Korea responds with new ballistic missile launches and does not hesitate to make tough statements.
"This vicious cycle must be broken by solely and exclusively political and diplomatic means."
Yesterday, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov called for the US and North Korea to start negotiations.
Mr Lavrov said Russia was ready to facilitate talks in a bid to stop war breaking out.
Moscow has long called for Washington and Pyongyang to hold talks aimed at easing tensions caused by Kim’s nuclear and missile programme.
Pyongyang said on Sunday that the latest UN sanctions against it were an act of war and tantamount to a complete economic blockade.
The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new, tougher sanctions against the hermit kingdom on Friday for its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test.
But South Korea has predicted the new crackdown will lead to its neighbour opening negotiations with the US in the new year.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said: "North Korea will seek negotiation with United States, while continuing to pursue its effort to be recognised as a de facto nuclear-possessing country.”
China, the North's lone major ally, and Russia both supported the latest UN sanctions, which seek to limit the North's access to refined petroleum products and crude oil and its earnings from workers abroad.
And on Monday Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying called for all countries to ease tension.
Today, Beijing released customs data indicating China exported no oil products to North Korea in November, apparently going over and beyond U.N. sanctions.