Kuleba made a one-day visit to Islamabad on Thursday, against the backdrop of a warming relationship with Moscow and the shifting geopolitics of the region. Pakistan recently started importing cheap crude oil from Russia to meet local demand and save on foreign exchange reserves.
Just ahead of a press conference, Kyiv allegedly requested Islamabad not to allow Russian journalists to cover the event. One Russian reporter, who was present at the press conference, was asked by the authorities to leave the premises. While leaving, the reporter, according to local media, recorded a silent protest, saying that he would take up the matter with his embassy in Islamabad.
The Russian embassy then sought an explanation from the Pakistan foreign office, saying restriction of a journalist’s right to access information was unacceptable.
During the press conference, the two foreign ministers underlined their countries’ desire to continue the Black Sea grain deal. Bhutto-Zardari said he would contact representatives of the UN, Turkiyeand Russia to discuss the matter.They called for restoration of the grain initiative, days after Russia halted the wartime deal that had allowed grain to flow from Ukraine. Islamabad has of late been importing wheat from Ukraine. Kulebasaid Pakistan has been a regular importer of wheat from Kyiv in recent years, as much as a million tons in 2021.
The Ukrainian foreignministerdenied media reports claiming that Pakistan was supplying arms to Kyiv amid its ongoing conflict with Russia. Kuleba later met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. A statement issued by his office quoted Sharif as saying that the conflict in Ukraine has had a significant global impact that has hurt the economies of many countries.