RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin has warned against the use of weapons of mass destruction (WOMD) against North Korea.

The Russian president said he is hopeful the crisis engulfing the Korean peninsula will not descened into a conflict involving WOMD.

Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok today, he urged the international community to solve the North Korea nuclear crisis by "diplomatic means".

He said: "We hope it will not come to a conflict with the use of weapons of mass destruction in North-East Asia.

"There are possibilities to achieve the settlement of Pyongyang’s problem by diplomatic means. This is possible and must be done."

Putin has issued several statements about North Korea over the past few days in an apparant attempt to desculate the war of words between Pyongyang and Washington.

Addressing reporters on Tuesday, he sensationally warned of a "planetary catastrophe" should "military hysteria" continue on the Korean peninsula.

The following day the Russian leader said will not allow North Korea to be armed with nuclear weapons as the EEF kicked off in the port city in eastern Russian.

Today Putin repeated his calls for world leaders to "work together" to bring about the denuclearisation of North Korea.

Recalling negotiations in 2005, he said the situation was almost resolved but was ruined when talks broke down.

He said: "We almost agreed on everything in 2005.

"Agreements were reached, according to which North Korea assumed the obligation to curtail the nuclear missile program, and all the other participants in this process promised to contribute to this process, and spoke of the need to restore normal, good relations between the North and the South, on the possibility of implementing tripartite Russia-North-South projects.

"But then, unfortunately in my opinion, someone demanded from North Korea what it did not promise, and gradually this situation deteriorated to the current level."