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Article snippet: North Korea threatened on Monday to shoot down American warplanes even if they were not in the country’s airspace, stating that President Trump’s comments suggesting he would eradicate North Korea and its leaders were “a declaration of war.” The warning, made by Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho of North Korea in New York after a week of United Nations General Assembly meetings, escalated the invective-laced exchanges with Mr. Trump and appeared to further preclude the possibility of a diplomatic exit from the biggest foreign crisis the administration has faced. Administration officials denied that the United States had declared war on the isolated, nuclear-armed country of 25 million people, with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, calling such a suggestion “absurd.” She also said that “it’s never appropriate to shoot down another country’s aircraft when it’s over international waters” and that the United States wants a peaceful denuclearization of North Korea. But Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, said he saw no prospect of talks with North Korea that would allow its “de facto nuclear capability.” North Korea’s top leader, Kim Jong-un, has already ruled out giving up nuclear weapons. “The whole world should clearly remember it was the U.S. who first declared war on our country,” Mr. Ri told reporters at a news conference outside his hotel as he was about to return home. “Since the United States declared war on our co... Link to the full article to read more