The leaders of Russia and China have agreed that they will not accept North Korea's nuclear and missile strategy, but they reaffirmed their opposition to a possible deployment of an advanced U.S. missile defense system in South Korea, according to their joint statement Monday.

The statement was issued after Russian President Vladimir Putin held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Saturday in Beijing. Last week, North Korea claimed it successfully test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile.

Separately, a North Korean nuclear envoy who visited Beijing last week said Pyongyang wouldn't return to the negotiating table on the country's nuclear weapons program.

In the joint statement, Putin and Xi said they agreed that the long-stalled six-party talks are the best way to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"Both sides remain committed to achieving the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and not accepting North Korea's nuclear and missile strategy," the Chinese-language statement said.

Putin and Xi also agreed that they would fully implement U.N. sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. However, both sides "strongly oppose" the possible deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defensebattery to South Korea.

In the wake of North Korea's fourth nuclear test and the launch of a long-range rocket earlier this year, South Korea and the United States started formal talks on deploying a THAAD battery to South Korea to better defend Seoul from Pyongyang's growing threats.

For South Korea, the decision to adopt the U.S. missile system was based on its national security interests to enhance its defense posture against North Korea's advances in nuclear and missile programs.

Russia and China have long voiced opposition to the deployment of a THAAD battery to South Korea, claiming that the U.S. missile shield may undermine the strategic balance in the region.

South Korea and the U.S. have dismissed the concerns, saying the THAAD system is defensive in nature and would only target North Korea. (Yonhap)