John Kirby Says Pakistan Was Never an Ally of the United States

WASHINGTON: White House National Security Council Communications Advisor John Kirby stated that Pakistan has never been a formal ally of the United States but emphasized a partnership to address the threat of terrorism.

“Pakistan was never a technical ally of the United States. I mean, there was no treaty of alliance with Pakistan. But certainly, over many, many years in the last couple of decades, we partnered with Pakistan as appropriate to deal with the terrorist threat that still exists on that spine between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Kirby said during a briefing for foreign media at the Foreign Press Center.

“We recognize that the Pakistani people continue to fall victim to terrorist violence coming from across that border. We recognize that. And we have, and for as long as we’ll be in office here, remain committed to working with Pakistan to address those common threats and challenges. That hasn’t changed, and it’s not going to change,” he added.

When asked why the Biden administration has not succeeded in bringing peace to the Middle East and Ukraine, Kirby responded by highlighting the U.S. role in fostering diplomacy.

“Because of the United States, under Joe Biden, we brokered a peace – a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah” “I would argue that we are in the position we are in right now because of the intensive diplomacy that President Biden has implemented and executed over many, many months. If we can get a deal, you will see that the parameters of that deal are the ones the Biden administration started working on many months ago,” he added.

On Ukraine, Kirby emphasized that the U.S. wants the war to end but does not intend to impose negotiations on Ukraine.

“We’re not going to impose a negotiation on President Zelenskyy or the Ukrainian people. We want President Zelenskyy, when – if and when he’s ready to go to the negotiating table, to go into it with a position of strength, said Kirby.

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“We have literally moved mountains and led the world in helping Ukraine succeed on the battlefield so that, if a negotiated settlement comes, Zelenskyy has leverage and the ability to do what any president of a country ought to do—protect sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he remarked.

Kirby pushed back on the question that Biden administration failed to end the war.”I take issue with the premise of your question. The United States literally led the world in helping ensure that President Zelenskyy and his troops had what they needed to succeed.

“Moreover, I haven’t seen a single shred of evidence that Putin is ready to negotiate. His strategic objectives in Ukraine haven’t changed. He still wants to subjugate the entire country and doesn’t even believe it ought to exist as a nation. How many of those objectives has he achieved? None. Zero,” Kirby asserted.

Kirby concluded by emphasizing the global implications of the conflict. “Did you ever imagine that countries like Japan and South Korea would support Ukraine in a war against Russia? That wasn’t by accident. It was because of President Biden’s leadership. Other nations, like the PRC, are watching closely to draw lessons from this. What happens in Ukraine doesn’t just affect Ukraine or even Europe—it impacts the Indo-Pacific as well.”