Ukraine ambassador urges PM to raise Kyiv’s issue during Russia visit

ISLAMABAD: Underscoring the need for Pakistan to play its role in resolving the Ukraine issue, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Pakistan, Markian Chuchuk, reiterated that Russia wants to invade Kyiv.

Speaking to journalists, he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should raise this issue during his two-day visit to Moscow, as it [Pakistan] is a nuclear power and it should play its role in the resolution of the ongoing conflict.

He said that the Russian attacks will spread tensions around the world and will negatively affect business around the world. According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Ukraine in Pakistan, the ongoing escalation in Ukrainian-Russian relations is not a matter of just the last few months.

“Ukraine has been facing external military aggression for eight years, since February 20, 2014,” it said, adding that since then, as a result of Russian hybrid invasion, parts of the sovereign territory of Ukraine (the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as certain territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions) remain under temporary foreign occupation.

The ambassador said that since November 2021, the Russian Federation has been consistently amassing troops along the border with Ukraine, waging military drills in close proximity to Ukrainian borders, extending a range of “security demands” to Ukraine and its international partners as well as Nato.

According to the latest estimations, the Russian contingent of armed forces is totalling about 107,000 troops stationed along Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea, 122,000 troops amassed at a distance of 200 km and more than 143,000 at a distance of 400 km and could potentially be ready for offensive against Ukraine at any moment.

“Despite the efforts of Ukraine and the international community, Russian Federation hasn’t given a clear explanation for presence its troops near Ukrainian border and could not provide clear and convincing evidence of the withdrawal of its troops,” the statement read.

The embassy said that Ukraine considers such Russian military presence as unprovoked and unjustified, particularly, as it leads to deteriorating security situation on temporary occupied territories of Donbas.