Russia's top envoy to Pyongyang reportedly said he does not rule out the possibility of a nuclear test by North Korea in the event of continued provocation by the United States.

Axar.az reports that Ambassador Alexander Matsegora made the remarks in an interview with the Russian state media outlet Sputnik on Saturday.

The envoy said that if American provocations continue if they become more and more dangerous, he does not rule out that the leadership of North Korea will be forced to decide to conduct a nuclear test to strengthen its defence capability.

Matsegora made similar remarks in his interview with Russia's state TASS news agency last Wednesday, saying that North Korea may decide to conduct a seventh nuclear test if the United States continues to take "provocative steps" in the region.

In the Sputnik interview, the envoy said that this is certainly an undesirable scenario, but if this does happen, the responsibility will lie entirely with the Americans and their allies.