Responsibility Of Every ‘Responsible’ Country To Voice Objection To Actions In Ukraine: US On Pak PM’s Russia Visit

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has informed Pakistan about its position on the situation in Ukraine.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan | File Photo: Getty

Washington: Asserting it is the responsibility of every “responsible” country to voice objection to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, the United States has expressed its displeasure over Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has informed Pakistan about its position on the situation in Ukraine.

“We've communicated to Pakistan our position regarding Russia's further renewed invasion of Ukraine and we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war,” ANI quoted Price as saying during a press briefing when asked about Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The State Department spokesperson added Washington views its partnership with Ukraine as critical to the US interests.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistani Prime Minister left for Moscow to meet President Putin and discuss several issues, including economic cooperation.

The development took place hours after the US and a number of western nations hit Russia with new sanctions for its military deployment into parts of eastern Ukraine.

Khan is the first foreign leader to meet with Putin after the Russian troops entered the separatist regions of eastern Ukraine amid the escalating crisis.

The experts see Khan’s visit to Moscow -- the first by a Pakistani Prime Minister in 23 years -- as an implicit endorsement by Islamabad of the Russian leader’s actions.

Earlier in the day, US President Joe Biden moved ahead with sanctions on the company in charge of building Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline after blocking such measures last year using a national security waiver.

“Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers. These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine,” Biden wrote in a statement.

“As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate,” he added.

The move is part of a series of penalties the US and its allies have imposed on Russia this week in response to Putin's recognition of separatist territories in eastern Ukraine as independent.