Pakistan and its all-weather partner China shared a close defense partnership with Ukraine and procured defense equipment from Kyiv until the February 24 conflict broke out. Ukraine’s defense ties with Pakistan, including tank sales to the Pakistani military, have harmed India’s security interests.
Last year, Pakistan and Ukraine agreed to further optimize their military-to-military relations, particularly in the areas of defense production, training, counterterrorism and intelligence. Pakistan would be keen to enhance defense cooperation with Ukraine on the basis of technology transfer and joint ventures in the future, as both sides can benefit from each other’s experience.
Between 1991 and 2020, Ukraine concluded arms deals with Pakistan worth a total of nearly $1.6 billion. Simultaneously, defense trade between China and Ukraine began with the delivery of China’s first aircraft carrier in the late 1990s. China also purchased fighter jet engines from Ukraine, indicated sources. Beijing has also sourced nuclear reactor parts from Ukraine. Zahoor, who emigrated to Ukraine in the 1990s, was the former owner of Ukraine’s Kyiv Post newspaper and had interests in the steel industry.
The Karachi-born billionaire had also tried to raise funds and help evacuate refugees from Ukraine to the UK and other parts of Europe, according to a report by the UAE-based Khaleej Times. . Earlier, speaking to Arab News, Zahoor said: “It is time, in fact, for us not to be silent. We have to take sides. I openly take the side of Ukraine because after seeing [reports from] Western, Ukrainian and Russian media, I can see and decide who is telling the truth. This is actually the time for everyone to speak up for Ukraine, otherwise every big country is going to swallow up its next door neighbour. invested in the steel sector and established the ISTIL Group, with interests in real estate, manufacturing and coal beneficiation.
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