Ahead of ‘vote against Russia’ at UN, West seeks Pak support

Ahead of the “vote against Russia” at the United Nations next week, western countries, led by the United States, have sought support from Shehbaz Sharif’s government in Pakistan. This comes as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is set to hold a meeting next Monday to discuss the Russian annexation of four regions in Ukraine.  A resolution is under preparation on the annexation after Moscow vetoed a condemnation of the act in the UN Security Council last week. 

The Biden administration is looking for the support of the countries that previously abstained on a similar resolution, in a bid to gather maximum support. Earlier in March, Pakistan stayed away from voting, a move that drew a strong response from Europe and the US. Some European countries even equated abstention with backing Russia amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. 

While defending its position, Islamabad had said that taking any side would deny the country the role of a possible peace broker. Since the ouster of Imran Khan and the arrival of the Shehbaz Sharif government, Pakistan has seen greater engagement with the Biden administration. 

At the recently held UN General Assembly session, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met several prominent leaders from Europe, including from Germany and France. Shehbaz even held a brief interaction with President Joe Biden in Washington. During the series of talks in the United States, Russia has remained one of the main talking points. 

The United States is certainly keen that Pakistan abandons its policy of “neutrality” in the Russia-Ukraine conflict citing diplomatic sources. However, Pakistan is unlikely to change its stance because it doesn’t want to become a party to the conflict between global powers.