Albert P. Khorev, the Ambassador of Russia to Pakistan said, “It is safe to say that the initiative on the battlefield belongs to Russia, we see Russian troops systematically advancing in the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. A few weeks ago, our troops launched an offensive in the Kharkov direction, taking the enemy by surprise. Once again, I would like to reiterate that all the goals of the Special Military Operation – namely the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine – will be achieved”, he was briefing the media at the Russian Embassy in Islamabad.

Talking about the time frame of the military operations the Ambassador added, “We often hear questions like “why is the Special Military Operation taking so long, why can’t Russia achieve its goals faster?”

The answer is simple: the seemingly slow pace of the Russian troops’ advance is explained by our efforts to minimize casualties among both the civilian population and among the personnel of the Russian Armed Forces. As we say in Russia: “The slower you go, the further you get”.

Regarding the issue of civilian population being attacked by Ukrainian forces H.E Albert P. Khorev said, “The Ukrainian neo-Nazi regime understands the objective realities on the fronts and targets civilians. Out of desperation and inability to take the initiative on the fronts, it regularly commits terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia. The civilian population of the Belgorod region suffers the most, as dozens of Ukrainian drones attack civilian infrastructure every day”. He further added the most heinous was the attack on an apartment block in the city of Belgorod on May 12. Ten floors collapsed after being hit by a Ukrainian missile, killing 17 people and injuring over 30. What did the dead and wounded have to do with the military operation? Why did the Ukrainian army target them?

The answer is simple: the Kiev regime is trying to intimidate Russian civilians. This tactic is well known – it is constantly used by various terrorist organizations, including those operating in Pakistan. According to the Russian security services, the organizers of the March 22 terrorist attack in the Moscow “Crocus City Hall”, which was shocking in its brutality, are also connected with Ukraine, because the perpetrators of this atrocious act tried to escape there.

Talking about the activities of the Ukranian neo-Nazi group the Ambassador said, “To the series of terrorist acts committed with the complicity of the Ukrainian authorities, I should like to add the 2014 tragedy in Odessa – we commemorated its sad 10th anniversary on May 2. On that day, Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups burned alive about 50 people and injured another 250. No one in Ukraine even considers punishing the masterminds and perpetrators of this atrocity, because, according to the current head of the Kiev regime, Zelensky, the people of Ukraine who support Russia are not human beings, but specimens.

The spring of 2024 also marked a number of important anniversaries:

On March 18, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia. Crimea once again became part of our country following the results of the referendum on the status of Crimea, where 96% of voters cast their ballots in favor of returning to their historic homeland. The events of the Crimean Spring were decisive for the future of the peninsula. The Crimeans chose to live under the reliable protection of Russia. The subsequent bloody war unleashed by the Kiev regime against the people’s republics of Donbas has explicitly shown that the Crimeans’ historical choice in favor of Russia was the right one.

He added some more activities of the following groups and said, “ On May 11–12, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. This day in 2014 marked the beginning of the long and painful journey of the peoples of these republics, which ended with their reunification with the Russian Federation. This year, on the days of the celebration, the Ukrainians launched barbaric missile attacks using Western weaponry, such as ATACMS missiles and HIMARS MLRS, against a restaurant a few meters from a gas station, killing three people, but there could have been many more victims if the missile had found its target”

Talking about the role of NATO and other Western countries H.H Albert P. Khorev said, “Despite the terrorist nature of the Ukrainian authorities, they continue to enjoy the unconditional support of NATO and Western countries, primarily the United States of America. They supply Ukraine with weapons, including those purchased in third countries, which are used for indiscriminate attacks on the Russian civilian population and re-sold to other regions of the world by corrupt Ukrainian authorities. As a result, these weapons end up in the hands of terrorists, extremists and outright bandits, which can further destabilize entire regions, including South and Central Asia. Those who support the unlimited supply of NATO arms to Kiev must think about this”.

He said, “Let me give you some numbers as an example. Over 230 billion dollars. That is how much Western countries spent on military aid to Ukraine over the past two years. Moreover, in March 2023, the IMF allocated 15.6 billion dollars to Ukraine”.

As for the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, the Ambassador said, “I would like to emphasize that Russia remains open to peace talks. They were actively pursued in the first months after the start of the Special Military Operation, but then Western countries intervened and forbade Zelensky to sign anything. And the leader of the Kiev regime willingly went along with the West and turned his country into a testing ground for Western weapons systems. Moreover, you are unlikely to read this in Western so-called “independent” media, but Zelensky even issued a decree forbidding the Ukrainian leadership to negotiate with the leadership of Russia”.

He further said, “ I would like to emphasize that it is not Russia, but Ukraine, under the pressure from its sponsors, refuses to hold real peace talks. Instead, the United States’ satellites are engaged in profanation, organizing all sorts of “peace” conferences and forums, as was the case in Copenhagen and is now planned for Switzerland. The goal of such events is the same: to promote, push through, impose, and finally to announce that the world community allegedly supports Zelensky’s so-called “peace formula”. This formula is a set of unilateral ultimatum demands to Russia, which have nothing to do with realities and do not take into account the interests of our country. And how can one seriously expect to conclude peace if one of the parties to the conflict is absent from the negotiating table?

The answer is simple: peace is not part of the U.S. and NATO plans. They want a strategic defeat of Russia, and they use the organized “peace” forums to present a collective ultimatum to our country. At the same time, the outcome of all these pseudo-initiatives is known in advance. The developing countries, the countries of the global South and East, which make up the world’s majority, are invited to these forums in order to create masses and make a nice group photo”.

He added, “The West is simply ignoring all previous initiatives by China, Brazil and some African states.

Instead, since early 2024, Western countries have begun signing bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, putting their taxpayers at additional risk of being drawn into the long-term financing of the destructive conflict in Ukraine. Such ten-year agreements, which provide military and economic assistance to the Kiev regime, have already been signed by the UK, France, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and, most recently, Spain. Other countries are in the process of preparing them. At the same time, the public in these countries is being misled about the possible benefits of providing assistance to the Nazi regime in Kiev. This activity brings profit only to the military-industrial complex against the background of falling living standards of ordinary citizens. I would like to emphasize once again – the massive financing of Ukraine by Western countries means the underfunding of the development of other parts of the world that desperately need it”.

Concluding the briefing to the media H.H Albert P. Khorev said, “Any peace talks and discussion of their commencement without Russia are impossible and have no added value. They must be preceded by the revocation of Zelensky’s decree banning negotiations with Russia, the cessation of arms deliveries by NATO countries to Ukraine, and an unambiguous confirmation by Kiev and its sponsors of their readiness to take into account the current political-territorial realities and Russia’s legitimate interests”.

Appreciating the role of the Government of Pakistan and the bilateral relation between Pakistan and Russian the Ambassador said, I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the leadership of Pakistan for its neutrality on the Ukrainian conflict. We know the pressures you face and are grateful for your principled stand.

“I would like to express my special gratitude to the people of Pakistan. We receive many sincere words of support and find understanding for our position among Pakistani citizens. Despite the difficulties, we will make every effort to further develop bilateral relations and strengthen Pakistan’s food and energy security”, he said.