ISLAMABAD: The United States on Tuesday described Pakistan’s decision to procure Russian crude oil as a “sovereign” choice made by the administration in Islamabad, though it reiterated President Vladimir Putin’s government had acted as an aggressor in Ukraine and must not be allowed to strengthen Moscow’s war machinery.
Pakistan placed its first order for discounted Russian oil earlier this month after successfully negotiating a deal with Russia for several months.
The purchase hoped to offer some respite to Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy amid the country’s dwindling forex reserves and rapidly declining national currency.
Pakistan’s state minister for petroleum Musadik Malik refused to disclose the import rate of Russian crude oil during his recent interviews, though the world has put a $60 a barrel price cap for nations buying the Russian commodity.
“On the purchase – Pakistan’s purchase of Russian energy – look, each country is going to make its own sovereign decisions as it relates to its energy supply,” the State Department Spokesman, Vedant Patel, said during his news conference while responding to a question. “One of the reasons that the United States, through the G7, has been a big proponent of the price cap is to ensure that steps are not being taken to keep Russian energy off the market because we understand that there is a demand for supply.”
However, he added it was important to take steps to ensure that Russian energy markets were “not turning out to be a windfall for Putin’s war machine.”
The US official reiterated Russia was “unlawfully, unjustly aggressing against Ukraine, against Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” adding the US was going to continue to hold Moscow accountable through sanctions and export controls.
