Putin slams US threats to North Korea as Trump sells arms to South Korea and Japan
Vladimir Putin has said US efforts to punish North Korea's nuclear test with sanctions are "useless" and "ineffective" while military steps could lead to a "global catastrophe".
The Russian president's warning came as South Korean warships displayed their firing power and the US strengthened their's and Japan's arsenals.
US President Donald Trump confirmed in a tweet he had endorsed a sale of "highly sophisticated military equipment" to the US allies.
The US has warned of a "massive military response" to North Korea's biggest-ever nuclear test.
But Mr Putin, while condemning Sunday's test as "provocative" while at a power summit in China, said global powers should look to negotiate with Pyongyang.
What action is the US pursuing against North Korea?
US President Mr Trump has said all options are "on the table" after Sunday's test of an apparent hydrogen bomb though initial efforts appear to focus on a ramping up of sanctions.
US officials are working on a draft UN Security Council resolution to bring further sanctions - most commonly the blocking of assets or trade restrictions - against Pyongyang while taking steps to bolster Seoul's military capability.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley told a Security Council meeting on Monday that North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un is "begging for war".
She added: "I think that North Korea basically has slapped everyone in the face in the international community that has asked them to stop."
Ms Haley aims to put the resolution to a vote next Monday.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters after the Security Council meeting sanctions alone will not solve the issue, and there need to be negotiations too.
The emergency session was called after North Korea declared the "perfect success" of tests on a hydrogen bomb feared to be five times more powerful than the bomb the US dropped on Japan's Nagasaki in 1945.
How else has the US strengthened South Korea's military?
The US has bolstered South Korea's military strength by lifting warhead restrictions on Seoul's missiles.
The move gives the US ally wider scope to develop more powerful weapons needed for pre-emptive strikes against the North.
Seoul said North Korea appears to be planning a future missile launch, possibly of an ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile).
Pyongyang's test propelled the North a huge step forward in its push for viable nuclear missiles capable of hitting the US mainland.
What is the purpose and scale of South Korea's military drills?
While Seoul and Washington regard the show of military strength on land and at sea as defensive responses to Pyongyang's provocation, the North has condemned them as proof of the planning of an invasion.
The Seoul said its simulated attack on North Korea's nuclear test site on Monday aimed to "strongly warn" Pyongyang.
The South's army and air force conducted a joint drill involving F-15 fighter jets and land-based ballistic missiles.
Tuesday's naval drills along the country's eastern coast included a 2,500-tonne frigate, a 1000-tonne patrol ship and 400-tonne guided-missile vessels.
The drills are planned from Wednesday to Saturday in the country's southern seas.