FO Clarifies: No Pakistani Involvement in Russia-Ukraine War
The Government of Pakistan has firmly denied the unfounded allegations regarding the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the Ukraine conflict.
In a statement issued in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Foreign Office said “To date, Pakistan has not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor has any verifiable evidence been presented to substantiate such claims.”
“The Government of Pakistan shall take up this matter with the Ukrainian authorities, and seek clarification in this regard.”
Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.
Earlier on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukrainian troops in northeastern Ukraine were fighting foreign “mercenaries” from various countries including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa, and vowed a response.
Zelenskiy has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters for its war effort against Ukraine, charges Beijing denied, while North Korea has also provided thousands of its own troops in Russia’s Kursk region.
Zelenskyy claimed that his country’s troops in the northeast are battling foreign “mercenaries” recruited by Russia from various countries, vowing to “respond”.
The Ukrainian president visited front-line troops in the Kharkiv region on Monday, hearing reports from his “warriors” that fighters from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries were on board with Russia.
Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera said there was no way of verifying Zelenskyy’s claims. Conversely, he added, “lots of foreign fighters” had also volunteered to fight for Ukraine and were still on the frontlines.
He said in a post in X that he had held discussions with commanders on “the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles”, and was also looking at “drone supply and deployment, recruitment, and direct funding for the brigades”.
