EU envoy says Russia-Ukraine war affecting Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: European Union Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Riina Kionka said Tuesday the impact of war between Russia and Ukraine impacted the entire developing world, including Pakistan, highlighting the global conflict's effect on fuel prices and inflation.

The EU envoy, in an exclusive interview with Geo News, opined the war is not just impacting Europe; in fact, its consequences are trickling down towards countries in the developing world such as Pakistan with the situation worsening for them, given its fuel costs and inflation which continue to aggravate.

Followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war has caused the supply of wheat to run short consequently pushing the cost of wheat to increase. It also led to burgeoning fuel prices — which Pakistan pays dearly.

"Pakistan imported 39% of its wheat from Ukraine prior to the war," she noted.

She added it is obvious that it would reverberate in Pakistan. The envoy said that "Pakistan needs to find alternative ways for its wheat supplies".

The envoy also highlighted the role of the EU in the war by saying "even after a year of the ongoing war in Ukraine, the position of the EU is clear on the matter".

The envoy said: "EU, at the early stages of the war, provided some $50 billion to Ukraine in support from which $12 billion were directly for military assistance."

On the ways to curb the Russian war investment, she was of the view that "the EU has issued 10 packages of sanctions against Russia so that the Russian war financing could be halted, further highlighting "the EU remained united in supporting Ukraine so that it can achieve its final aim of driving Russia out of its soil."