Russia could accept the UN Security Council's draft resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) if it was confined to nuclear missile issues, a high-ranking diplomat said Tuesday.

"The content and sanction restrictions should not exceed the nuclear missile problems of the DPRK," the Interfax news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying.

Gatilov said that, if these criteria were met, Russia would be ready for "constructive consideration" of the draft resolution.

Meanwhile, he said the UN Security Council must send a "strong message" regarding the DPRK's nuclear test last month.

The council could vote on the draft resolution "shortly" if consensus was found, Gatilov said.

Pyongyang conducted a nuclear test on Feb. 12, its third following the tests in 2006 and 2009.