US decided to Punish 'Disobedient' Imran Khan, Says Russia:

Russian foreign ministry spoke for the first time since PM Imran Khan accused US of backing a move to oust him and said that all the developments before and after Pakistan PM’s Russia visit point to the fact that United States decided to “punish disobedient” Imran Khan for not canceling his February visit to the country.

According to BBC, the Russian foreign ministry, in a statement, said that when PM Imran Khan was about to visit Moscow in Feb 2022, the US and its allies were pressuring the Pakistan PM to cancel the visit ahead of Ukraine war.

The statement further says that the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs summoned Pakistan Ambassador to US Asad Majeed Khan and pressured him to to cancel the visit but the pressure was rejected and Imran Khan continued with his plans.