The launch was the second in just two weeks, and the intermediate-range missile flew directly over the Japanese island of Hokkaido before crashing into the sea.
The United States called on China and Russia to take “direct actions” to rein in North Korea after it fired the warhead.
But instead Russia condemned “aggressive” US rhetoric, while China suggested the US was avoiding its own responsibility for the potentially deadly missile launch.
In an interview on Russian radio, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “We are demonstrating not only our intolerance towards the illegal launches but also our willingness to settle the situation in the Korean peninsula.
“Regrettably, aggressive rhetoric is the only thing coming from Washington.”
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying denied that China held the key to easing tension on the Korean peninsula and said that duty lay with the parties directly involved.
She also reiterated China’s position that sanctions on North Korea are only effective if paired with talks.
North Korea’s latest test missile flew over Hokkaido in northern Japan on Friday and landed in the Pacific about 2,000 km (1,240 miles) to the east, the Japanese government said.
It travelled about 3,700 km (2,300 miles) in total, according to South Korea’s military, far enough to reach the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which the North has threatened before.
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launch, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Both leaders condemned Pyongyang’s “provocative” actions, which risk leading to “irreversible consequences”, according to the statement.
They agreed on the need for a diplomatic solution, including through resuming direct talks on North Korea.