ISLAMABAD: Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev on Tuesday expressed support for Pakistan’s mediatory role in the Iran-US conflict, saying Moscow would back all efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution acceptable to both sides.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Russian Embassy in Islamabad, Ambassador Khorev said Russia appreciated Pakistan’s diplomatic initiatives and noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had also recently reiterated support for Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.
He said Russia supported all initiatives that could contribute to reducing tensions and resolving the conflict peacefully while addressing the concerns of both the United States and Iran.
The Ambassador also thanked Pakistan for supporting the 2005 United Nations resolution against “Nazism, Neo-Nazism and the promotion of racism,” which was backed by 119 countries, including Pakistan.
Referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Khorev regretted that Pakistani media extensively highlights human and infrastructure losses in Ukraine while comparatively little attention is given to Russian losses.
He reiterated Moscow’s stance against what he termed the “glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism” in certain countries. He thanked Pakistan for supporting Russia-backed resolutions at the United Nations General Assembly aimed at combating Nazism and racial intolerance
The envoy said Russia had declared a ceasefire from May 8 to May 11 as a goodwill gesture during Victory Day commemorations, but alleged that Ukrainian forces violated the truce more than 30,000 times. He claimed a similar pattern was witnessed during the Easter ceasefire in April.
According to the ambassador, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was unwilling to end the conflict and continued pursuing large-scale mobilization despite growing public dissatisfaction. He alleged that Ukrainian authorities had issued hundreds of thousands of draft notices and that recruitment methods involved coercion and human rights abuses.
Ambassador Khorev also criticized Western countries, including members of North Atlantic Treaty Organization, for continuing military and financial support to Kiev. He claimed foreign mercenaries from several Western countries were participating in combat operations alongside Ukrainian forces and said additional Western military aid worth billions of dollars was under discussion for 2026.
He maintained that Russia would ultimately achieve its objectives in Ukraine and asserted that Moscow was prepared for all possible situations.
According to the ambassador, the 2025 report of Ukraine’s Ombudsman documented more than 6,000 complaints regarding forced recruitment into the Ukrainian military.
Khorev also claimed that foreign fighters from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland and other NATO countries were fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. He said European countries continued to support Ukraine in an attempt to inflict what he described as a “strategic defeat” on Russia.
The Russian envoy voiced reservations over the transfer of historical artifacts known as “Scythian Gold” to Kyiv instead of Crimea, demanding that all artifacts discovered in Crimea should be returned there.
Responding to a question regarding reports in Pakistani media about alleged recruitment for the Russian army in Pakistan, the Ambassador said the matter could not be confirmed as the reports contained contradictions. He added that the individual allegedly recruited had never applied for a visa at the Russian Embassy.
He said Pakistani authorities were investigating the matter and expressed hope that the findings would soon be made public
