Pakistani PM to visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin
February 21, 2022, 5:24 pm

Pakistani PM to visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (File photo: official Facebook page)

The Swiss Info reported, citing Reuters, Islamabad confirmed on Monday, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan will fly to Moscow this week to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is the first trip by a Pakistani leader in two decades.

The report said that the two-day visit, starting on Wednesday, was planned before the current crisis over Ukraine.

Pakistan's foreign office said in a statement: "During the Summit meeting, the two leaders will review the entire array of bilateral relations including energy cooperation." It added that Khan and Putin will also discuss issues including the situation in Afghanistan.

According to the report, relations between Pakistan and Russia were minimal for years as Islamabad sided with the United States in the Cold War and was given Major Non-NATO Ally status by Washington after U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

Russian president Vladimir Putin (File photo: Facebook)

In recent years, however, relations between the United States and Pakistan have deteriorated and there has been a thawing between Moscow and Islamabad, which has seen the planning of projects in the gas and energy fields.

In an interview published on Monday, Khan played down the timing of the visit, and any effect it would have on Pakistan's relations with the West.

Four killed and 15 Injured in blast in Pakistan’s southwestern Quetta city

He told Newsweek Pakistan: "This visit was planned well before the emergence of the current phase of Ukrainian crisis ... I received the invitation from President Putin much earlier."

Source: swissinfo

Damascus bookstores long for customers as economic crisis bites purchasing power Joe Biden extends national emergency beyond March 1

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.