WASHINGTON: US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price responded to a question related to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Russia visit, stating that “we believe it’s the responsibility of every responsible country around the world to voice concern and to voice objection to what Putin appears to have in mind for Ukraine.”
Price said this during a press briefing on Wednesday when asked about the Pakistani premier’s scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
He said that they have already apprised Islamabad of Washington’s position on Russia’s further escalation in Ukraine and “we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war.”
Price said that the US views the partnership with a prosperous, democratic Pakistan as critical to its interests.
“We certainly hope, when it comes to those shared interests – the aversion of a costly conflict, the aversion of a destabilizing conflict, that every country around the world would make that point clearly in unambiguous language in their engagements with the Russian Federation,” he added.
The visit of PM Imran has assumed international significance as Russia announced to launch operation in Ukraine’s Donbas region. He would be the only world leader to meet Putin face-to-face amid the unfolding crisis in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday landed in Moscow for a two-day visit — from February 23-24 — to push for the construction of a long-delayed, multi-billion-dollar gas pipeline to be built in collaboration with Russian companies, an official said.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov received the prime minister at the airport, while the Russian military presented a guard of honour to him.
The premier and his delegation will undergo a coronavirus test, while he will commence his activities at 11am today.
PM Imran Khan’s trip to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues including economic cooperation comes hours after a number of Western nations hit Russia with new sanctions for its military deployment into parts of eastern Ukraine.
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