Moscow slams U.S. for blaming Russia, China over North Korea's missile tests

Russia on Monday slammed the United States for shifting the responsibility for North Korea's missile tests on Moscow and Beijing, and calling such attempts as an "untenable."

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Moscow considers attempts by the US and some other countries to budge responsibility for the situation around North Korea's nuclear missile program onto Russia and China to be untenable, Sputnik reported.

"We call on all parties involved to refrain from any steps that could lead to further escalation of tension. We consider attempts by representatives of the United States and a number of other countries to shift responsibility for what is happening onto Russia and China, almost to blame Moscow and Beijing for 'indulging' North Korea's nuclear missile ambitions to be untenable," the statement said.

On Saturday, Trump had said on Twitter that he was "very disappointed in China" as "they do nothing for us with North Korea,".

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He further added that former US leaders had made it possible for Beijing to create "hundreds of billions of dollars in the trade."

Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on the international community, especially China and Russia, to boost the pressure on Pyongyang.

North Korea conducted the second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in less than a month.

Pyongyang's tests have been a source of concern for its close neighbors like South Korea, Japan and their allies.

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un earlier also issued a fresh challenge to President Donald Trump by launching another sophisticated missile test that could potentially hit the entire United States, North Korea's state news agency said.

According to reports, the missile launch was meant as a "stern warning" for the United States.

The missile, which aimed for "maximum distance", flew for 47 minutes and 12 seconds while reaching a maximum altitude of 3,724.9km.