British comb: Pakistan weapons for Ukraine

Last year, the UK used Pakistan as an air bridge to supply arms to Ukraine via Romania, Indian ‘Economic Times’ reveals.

Pakistan has reportedly reached out to a Gulf state to identify vessels flying US flags to ship a consignment of 150 containers of 25 mm cartridges to Ukraine via the Polish port of Gdansk. It is the first time Pakistan has approached a Gulf state to facilitate arms shipments to Kyiv amid reports about its dwindling arms stocks despite supplies from the West.

Pakistan has been at the forefront of supplying arms, ammunition, and artillery to Ukraine since last August at the behest of the West and via third countries including Poland and Germany.

For the first time Pakistan, close on the heels of the Ukrainian foreign minister's visit to Islamabad, has approached a Gulf state for shipping the next consignment of arms to Kyiv via Poland.

The shipment is to sail from the Karachi port to Ukraine via the Polish port of Gdansk. It is not yet known whether the shipping firm in the Gulf nation has agreed to the Pakistani proposal.

Several resource rich Gulf states have expanded their ties with Russia over the past few years and have maintained neutrality on the Ukraine conflict. Over the past decade, the Gulf states have also upgraded their partnership with India.

Ukraine's arms and ammunition stockpiles are depleting fast despite supplies from the West. This has slowed down its "counter offensive" against Russian forces.

The UK's ministry of defence had entered a deal with the Pakistan Ordnance Board to supply arms to Ukraine.

Ukraine-Pakistan defence partnership has been a phenomenon for the past three decades with Islamabad procuring key defence equipment from Kiev.

read more in our Telegram-channel https://t.me/The_International_Affairs