ISLAMABAD: The United States has communicated to Pakistan its position regarding Russia鈥檚 further invasion of Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a daily briefing on Wednesday.
The response comes at a time when Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is in Moscow and scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin today, Thursday.
Russian forces fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorized what he called a special military operation in the east.
Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire rattled near the capital鈥檚 main airport, the Interfax news agency said.
鈥淲e鈥檝e communicated to Pakistan our position regarding Russia鈥檚 further renewed invasion of Ukraine, and we have briefed them on our efforts to pursue diplomacy over war. We have a longstanding partnership and cooperation with Pakistan,鈥� Price said.
鈥淲e believe it鈥檚 the responsibility of every responsible country around the world to voice concern, to voice objection to what Putin appears to have in mind for Ukraine.鈥�
Price said that the US viewed its partnership with Pakistan as 鈥渃ritical鈥� to US interests.
鈥淎nd we certainly hope, when it comes to those shared interests 鈥� 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,鈥� Price said.
Early this week, in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT, when the interviewer asked if, given Ukraine tensions, this was the right time to visit Russia, PM Khan said: 鈥淭his doesn鈥檛 concern us, we have a bilateral relationship with Russia and we really want to strengthen it.鈥�
Khan added that he hoped the Ukraine crisis would be 鈥渞esolved peacefully.鈥�
鈥淚 am not a believer in military conflicts, I believe civilized societies resolve their differences through dialogue,鈥� Khan said.