ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he did not believe in military conflicts and hoped Russia and Ukraine would be able to resolve their differences “peacefully.”

The comments were broadcast on Tuesday in an interview with Russian broadcaster RT, one day ahead of a scheduled visit by Khan to Moscow on the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Khan will be the first Pakistani prime minister to visit Russia in 23 years.

On Monday, Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognizing them as independent on Monday. Putin’s announcement drew US and European condemnation and vows of new sanctions.

With the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia lost control of 14 former republics it had previously dominated, but the loss of Ukraine was the most painful. Ukraine is the second biggest country in Europe after Russia itself, has major ports on the Black Sea and shares borders with four NATO countries. It is a major exporter of corn and wheat. Europe depends on Russia for about one third of its natural gas — providing leverage for Putin in any dispute with the West — and one of the main pipelines passes through Ukraine.

Putin, who once called the break-up of the Soviet Union the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the last century, has devoted his presidency to restoring Moscow’s influence throughout the post-Soviet space, defying the West and trying to reassert Russia as a global power.

Keeping the world guessing about a possible invasion of Ukraine has forced Russia’s security demands to the top of the international agenda and compelled US President Joe Biden to re-engage with Putin, although it has also drawn Western warnings of drastic international sanctions.

“I am not a believer in military conflicts, I believe the civilized societies resolve their differences through dialogue,” Khan said. “I am hoping that this Ukraine crisis is resolved peacefully.”

When asked if, given Ukraine tensions, this was the right time to visit Russia, Khan said “This doesn’t concern us, we have a bilateral relationship with Russia and we really want to strengthen it.”

He also said Pakistan didn’t want to become a part of any bloc and wanted a trading relationship with all countries.

On Monday, Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzheppar tweeted that she had held a meeting with Pakistan’s Ambassador, retired Major Gen Noel Israel Khokhar, who had expressed support for her country’s sovereignty.

“Grateful to Pakistan for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Dzheppar said on Twitter.