MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula on Monday (Sept 11) and strongly condemned Pyongyang's refusal to abide by UN Security Council resolutions.

"It was stressed that such steps contradict the principles of global non-proliferation and create a serious threat to regional peace and security," the Kremlin said in a statement after the leaders' telephone conversation.

"It was confirmed that the settlement of this acute crisis is possible exclusively through political and diplomatic tools, through the restart of the negotiations of all the parties involved," the Kremlin said, adding that the leaders agreed to continue contacts on the crisis via their foreign ministers.