MOSCOW -- Russia on Friday called on relevant countries to exercise restraint to cool down the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

Moscow is watching the escalation of tensions with great concern and asks relevant countries to refrain from provocative actions, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

He reiterated Russia's non-proliferation stance, adding that all crises should be settled with political and diplomatic methods.

The United States has sent the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to waters near the Korean Peninsula in what it called a "reaction to provocations" by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with recent missile tests.

Pyongyang on Friday warned the United States of "toughest counteraction" to its "reckless military provocation."