Russia accuses US of testing North Korea's patience: ‘It’s as if…'

"It's as if Pyongyang's patience is being tested," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia was cited as saying.

Russia on Friday said that the United States was testing the patience of Moscow's tacit ally North Korea after Pyongyang fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japan.

North Korea Missile: A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's missile launch. (AP)

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergei Ryabkov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that while Moscow prefers a diplomatic approach towards the Korean peninsula, "it's been particularly evident recently that the United States and its allies in the region, prefer a different path."

"It's as if Pyongyang's patience is being tested," he was cited as saying.