Islamabad [Pakistan], November 14 (ANI): The United States cannot stop Pakistan from purchasing Russian oil and it will be possible to do so soon, Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday.
He made these remarks while addressing the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) workers in Dubai, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
Dar, during his visit to the US last month, had a meeting with the officials of the US State Department in which the matter of oil purchase from Russia was discussed. Citing India’s example, the Pakistani minister said that the ministry will try to purchase oil from Russia on similar terms. “In the next few months, you will see that the government will take important steps in favor of Pakistan in this regard,” he said.
This is not the first time that Dar had made this remark. Dar, during his visit to Washington last month, said the country is ready to buy fuel from Russia if the same rate that India is paying is also applicable to Pakistan, The News International reported. In a State Department press briefing last week, spokesperson Ned Price said the US has been intentional about exempting oil and gas from the sanctions imposed on Russia. “So the fact that India has high demand for energy, that it continues to seek oil and other forms of energy from Russia – that is not something that runs afoul of the sanctions that have been imposed,” he added.
Notably, the reports on the Pakistani government’s procurement of wheat and fuel from Russia have been going on for months. Earlier this month, the Pakistani government approved a deal worth nearly USD 112 million to import 300,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia to meet its domestic shortfall.
The deal came as Pakistan struggles to balance its weak economy and manage the aftermath of devastating floods that claimed the lives of over 1,700 people and caused damages worth billions of dollars. (ANI)
