The U.S. State Department has nixed a call by China and Russia to relax sanctions on North Korea.

A State Department spokesperson told U.S. broadcaster Voice of America on Wednesday that now was not the time to rashly ease sanctions on Pyongyang.

The spokesperson was responding to an appeal made Monday by China's UN Ambassador Zhang Jun to relax sanctions on North Korea as the country has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Last December, China and Russia proposed a resolution to ease sanctions.

The State Department spokesperson said that all UN Security Council members have agreed that North Korea should avoid provocations, abide by Security Council resolutions and participate in continuous and substantive denuclearization negotiations.

While noting U.S. concern with the humanitarian situation in North Korea, the spokesperson said that situation resulted from Pyongyang's prioritization of illegal weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs over the well-being of its own people.