Moscow Slams US for Putting Blame for N Korea's Missile Tests Onto Russia, China

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

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow considers attempts by the United States and some other countries to shift responsibility for the situation around North Korea's nuclear missile program onto Russia and China to be untenable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.

"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 said on his Twitter he was "very disappointed in China" as "they do nothing for us with North Korea," adding that former US leaders had made it possible for Beijing to make "hundreds of billions of dollars in trade." Earlier in the day, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on the international community, especially China and Russia, to increase the pressure on Pyongyang.

On Friday, North Korea conducted the second test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in less than a month. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the test was successful with the missile having reached the altitude of 3,725 kilometers (2,314 miles) and traveled 998 kilometers for about 47 minutes before falling in the Sea of Japan.

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