French Defense Minister Florence Parly warned Thursday that Europe, like the United States, is now in reach of North Korea’s ballistic missiles.

The regime’s test of its third intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday is “a demonstration of (Pyongyang’s) rising power” Parly told BFM television.

“Europe like the United States is certainly within reach of these launches,” she said, adding that “few Western cities” would be out of range.

Parly urged the international community to “pursue the path of sanctions” against North Korea.

“And what is imperative is that everyone applies these sanctions without fail, including China and Russia,” she said.

The UN Security Council has already imposed eight sets of sanctions on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Parly reiterated that France “believes diplomacy is the only way out of this extremely tense situation”.

Earlier in September, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had warned that North Korea could have the ability to strike Europe “within months”.

Source: AFP