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US can’t stop us from purchasing Russian oil: Pakistani Finance Minister

Dar, during his visit to the US last month, had a meeting with the officials of the US State Department in which the matter of oil purchase from Russia was discussed

The United States cannot stop Pakistan from buying Russian oil and it will soon be possible, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Sunday.

He made these remarks while addressing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers in Dubai, The Express Tribune reported.

During his visit to the US last month, Dar had a meeting with US State Department officials to discuss the matter of buying oil from Russia.

Citing the example of India, the Pakistani minister said the ministry would try to buy oil from Russia on similar terms.

“In the next few months, you will see the government taking important steps in this regard in favor of Pakistan,” he said.

This is not the first time Dar has made this remark.

During his visit to Washington last month, Dar said the country was ready to buy fuel from Russia if the same rate that India pays is also applicable to Pakistan, The News International reported.

At a State Department news conference last week, spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. deliberately exempted oil and gas from sanctions on Russia.

“So the fact that India has a high demand for energy, that it continues to source oil and other forms of energy from Russia – that’s not something that is inconsistent with the sanctions that have been imposed,” he added.

Notably, reports of the Pakistani government buying wheat and fuel from Russia have been going on for months.

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s government approved a deal worth nearly $112 million to import 300,000 tons of wheat from Russia to cover its domestic shortage.

The deal comes as Pakistan struggles to balance its weak economy and deal with the aftermath of devastating floods that have killed more than 1,700 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.

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