The Kremlin has rejected a British media report that Russia was preparing to carry out a nuclear test on Ukraine's border.

South Korea, Japan and the United States have reportedly reached a consensus on stern measures against a new nuclear test by North Korea, warning there would be no soft response if Pyongyang presses ahead with such a move.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un says his country is fully ready to use nuclear weapons in any military confrontation with the United States and South Korea, amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea has condemned “aggression moves” by Washington and Seoul, pledging to take revenge amid rising tension on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea conducts its largest single missile test just one day after South Korea and the United States wrapped up their joint military drills in the region.

The three-day drills are conducted in international waters off the Japanese island of Okinawa.

The US military says that it will postpone a nuclear missile test launch scheduled for this week to avoid any possible misunderstanding in light of Russia’s recent decision to put its nuclear forces on higher alert.