ISLAMABAD: Russian Ambassador Albert P. Khorev delivered an extensive briefing on the situation in and around Ukraine, outlining Moscow’s stance on recent diplomatic efforts, European initiatives and allegations against Russia.
Opening the session, Ambassador Khorev highlighted the December 3 meeting in Moscow between President Vladimir Putin and US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
The five-hour talks centred on a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, originally discussed during the August 15 Anchorage summit.
The ambassador said the plan had since undergone multiple revisions following diplomatic exchanges involving Europe and Ukraine. He described the Moscow meeting as “constructive and substantive,” though not without disagreements.
Blasts over West’s accusations of ‘kidnapping’ Ukrainian children
During the press briefing at the Russian embassy, Ambassador Khorev said progress towards a negotiated settlement remained slow, blaming what he termed European “illusions” of imposing a strategic defeat on Russia.
He criticised Western accusations of Russia kidnapping “thousands” of Ukrainian children, calling the claims baseless.
According to him, direct talks between Russia and Ukraine this summer established that Kyiv could provide only 339 names of minors allegedly taken to Russia. Work on returning these children, he added, was being carried out by Russia’s Office of the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights.
The ambassador criticised European efforts to create mechanisms such as the “Register of Damage to Ukraine” and the “Special Tribunal for Crimes of Aggression,” calling these initiatives “quasi-legal” and aimed at justifying Kyiv’s financial claims. He warned that Russia would consider any support for such bodies as “hostile” and respond accordingly.
The Russian envoy accused Western governments of attempting to seize frozen Russian sovereign assets, describing it as “theft” driven by Ukraine’s financial crisis and Europe’s own economic difficulties. He warned that such actions would have “severe consequences” for Western institutions.
Turning to domestic issues in Ukraine, the ambassador pointed to recent corruption scandals involving senior officials. He claimed the alleged embezzlement of $100 million in the energy sector was only the “tip of the iceberg,” asserting that officials close to President Volodymyr Zelensky were implicated.
The ambassador also argued that Western sanctions had backfired, disrupting global trade, supply chains, and economic stability. He cited slow or negative GDP growth in major European economies, linking the downturn to the severing of Russian energy cooperation.
He said the Ukraine conflict had “collapsed” the Euro-Atlantic security model and renewed calls for a broader Eurasian security framework. Russia, he added, remained committed to anti-neocolonial initiatives and was ready to join security efforts involving Asian, African and Latin American partners.
Reiterating that Russia had “no aggressive plans toward Europe,” the Russian ambassador nevertheless cautioned that Moscow would respond firmly to any hostile actions, citing recent tests of advanced non-nuclear weapons.
In closing, the ambassador thanked Pakistan for maintaining neutrality on the Ukraine conflict at international forums, saying Islamabad’s stance aligned with Russia’s preference for a diplomatic resolution.
Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2025
