WASHINGTON: Donald Trump said Thursday he had started a &quot;lengthy&quot; phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, a day before Ukraine&#39;s Volodymyr Zelensky meets the US president to push for Tomahawk missiles. &quot;I am speaking to President Putin now. The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!&quot; Trump said on his Truth Social network.

Americas

Europe

Donald Trump announced he was in a “lengthy” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just a day before Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky’s meeting with Trump to request Tomahawk missiles for Ukraine’s defense

Trump says 'lengthy' call to Putin has started

BERLIN: German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized French defense spending on Monday, calling for Paris to do more to turn calls for European security sovereignty into concrete capabilities. The comments marked the latest crack in relations between the two <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-and-europe-belong-together-rubio" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">European giants</a>. French President Emmanuel Macron &ldquo;repeatedly and correctly refers to our pursuit of European sovereignty,&rdquo; Wadephul told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. &ldquo;Anyone who talks about it needs to act accordingly in their own country.&rdquo; Under US pressure&nbsp;European NATO members are under pressure from the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/rubio-at-munich-security-meet-to-address-europeans-rattled-by-trump" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">United States</a> to build up their defense spending. Though they pledged last June to raise their defense and security-related outlays to five percent of GDP by 2035, Wadephul said progress in Europe so far had been lacking. &quot;Unfortunately, efforts in the French Republic have also been insufficient to achieve this so far,&quot; Wadephul said.&nbsp; &quot;France, too, needs to do what we are doing here with difficult discussions.&quot; Germany last year exempted most defense spending from constitutionally enshrined debt limits and current budgets foresee Berlin spending more than 500 billion euros ($593 billion) on defense between 2025 and 2029. Third-highest debt burden&nbsp;Under financial pressure, France has less room for maneuver. The country has the European Union&#39;s third-highest debt burden as a proportion of GDP after Greece and Italy, almost twice the 60-percent ceiling set in EU treaties. France and Macron needed to be ready to take difficult decisions, Wadephul said, including possible welfare cuts, to build the &quot;breathing space needed&quot;. &quot;That is a call that goes out to all European countries,&quot; Wadephul said.&nbsp; &quot;We will have to hold very open, very honest discussions about this here in our European family.&quot; <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Discord over fighter jet&nbsp;</h2>Wadephul&#39;s call comes amid strains in the Franco-German alliance, traditionally the motor of European cooperation. Germany has slapped down Macron&#39;s repeated calls for so-called eurobonds to boost investment, fearing common EU debt would lead to open-ended subsidies of EU member states with weak finances. Wadephul reiterated that Germany was also opposed to the proposal when it comes to defense spending, adding that NATO member states had last year agreed to reach the five-percent spending goal by their own efforts. &quot;We must also say to all our European partners -- in a spirit of friendship but with clarity -- that what was promised, the five per cent, were commitments to national contributions,&quot; he said. &quot;We are looking forward to and eagerly await another speech by the French president, I believe on the 27th of this month, where he will comment on strategic issues,&quot; Wadephul added. Recent disagreements&nbsp;Nerves are also fraying over plans by Paris and Berlin for a next-generation European fighter jet, where German industry and unions have accused French aerospace firm Dassault of seeking to dictate the terms of the project. In other recent disagreements, France wanted to block an EU trade deal with a group of South American countries, backed by Germany.&nbsp; Paris also opposed a push by Berlin and Rome to water down a planned EU ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. A European diplomat last week told AFP that right now &quot;the Franco-German axis isn&#39;t working&quot;.

European NATO members are under pressure from US to build up their defense spending; in other recent disagreements, France wanted to block an EU trade deal with a group of South American countries, backed by Germany.

German foreign minister slams France over defense spending 

MOSCOW: The Kremlin on Monday rejected as &quot;baseless&quot; an assessment by five European countries that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died from poisoning while in an Arctic prison two years ago.&nbsp;&quot;We naturally do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and baseless,&quot; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP, during a daily briefing call. More to follow.

A woman lays flowers at the grave of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at the Borisovo cemetery in Moscow on February 16, 2026, marking the second anniversary of his death in an Arctic colony. (Photo: AFP)

We naturally do not accept such accusations. We disagree with them. We consider them biased and baseless," says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Kremlin rejects European assessment Navalny died of poisoning

GENEVA:&nbsp;Iran&#39;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Geneva ahead of a second round of negotiations with the United States, Iranian state television said Monday, as Washington keeps up pressure on the Islamic republic. According to Tehran, &quot;indirect&quot;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-ready-for-nuclear-compromise-if-us-lifts-sanctions" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&ndash;US nuclear talks mediated by Oman will be held on Tuesday. Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations this month after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-fm-heads-to-geneva-for-second-round-of-nuclear-talks-with-us" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&nbsp;last June. &quot;The foreign minister has arrived in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-iran-government-change-best-thing-that-could-happen" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Geneva</a>&nbsp;at the head of a diplomatic and expert delegation to take part in the second round of nuclear negotiation,&quot; Iran&#39;s state-run IRIB wrote on its Telegram channel. &lsquo;Deep technical discussion&rsquo;The top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, later wrote on X that he would meet in Geneva with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, &quot;for deep technical discussion&quot;.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2023273878340989182&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c529a19e8829c3da039522b882158fce05ff872f&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 369px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>He is also set to hold talks with his Swiss and Omani counterparts as well as other international officials, Iran&#39;s foreign ministry said. &quot;I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,&quot; Araghchi added on X. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Anti-govt protests</h2>Washington has dispatched Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the White House confirmed on Sunday. The latest talks follow repeated threats from Trump of military action against Tehran, first over Iran&#39;s crackdown on anti-government protests, and then more recently over the country&#39;s nuclear program. The West fears the program is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies. On Friday, Trump said a change of government in Iran would be the &quot;best thing that could happen&quot;, as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure. Iran&#39;s deputy foreign minister told the BBC that Tehran would consider compromises on its uranium stockpile if Washington lifts sanctions that have crippled the Islamic republic&#39;s economy. &quot;If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement,&quot; said Majid Takht-Ravanchi. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that any deal must involve the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran as well as Tehran&#39;s ability to enrich more. &quot;There should be no enrichment capability... dismantle the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,&quot; he said during a speech in Jerusalem. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Viable&#39; deal&nbsp;</h2>On Feb. 6, Araghchi led the Iranian delegation in indirect talks with Witkoff and Kushner in Muscat. Switzerland has played a key role in Tehran-Washington diplomacy, representing US interests in Iran since Washington broke off relations after the 1980 hostage crisis, a year after the Iranian revolution. Iranian deputy foreign minister for economic diplomacy Hamid Ghanbari said Tehran was seeking a deal with the United States that would generate economic benefits for both countries, particularly in sectors such as aviation, mining and oil and gas, the Fars news agency reported. &quot;For the agreement to be viable, it is essential that the United States also be able to benefit from it in areas with strong and rapid economic return potential,&quot; he was quoted as saying.

Middle East

Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations this month after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June.

Iranian FM Araghchi in Geneva for second round of US talks

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: American military forces have intercepted and boarded the <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">Panamanian-flagged<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: source-sans-pro, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" id="isPasted">&nbsp;oil tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean, according to a statement posted on X by the Department of War on Sunday. The department said US forces tracked the vessel across international waters before carrying out what officials described as a lawful maritime boarding operation within the Indo-Pacific Command&rsquo;s area of responsibility. Video released alongside the statement shows armed personnel approaching the tanker at sea and climbing aboard. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2022997870061011067&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=917738aeac499d224108cc4f065a7ee29452fcc3&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> Officials described the action as a &ldquo;right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding&rdquo; conducted without incident.&nbsp;According to the statement, the pursuit began in the Caribbean and continued across thousands of miles before the ship was stopped in the Indian Ocean. &ldquo;The vessel tried to defy President Trump&rsquo;s quarantine &mdash; hoping to slip away,&rdquo; the department said. &ldquo;We tracked it from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, closed the distance, and shut it down.&rdquo; The Pentagon intercepted the Aquila II in similar fashion about a week ago. In December, Trump ordered a &quot;blockade&quot; of sanctioned oil vessels heading to and from Venezuela. At least nine ships have been seized thus far. But those ships seized in recent months make up only a tiny fraction of the total number of sanctioned &quot;shadow fleet&quot; vessels operating worldwide to evade sanctions, which a senior US Coast Guard officer said number up to 800. The Veronica III left Venezuela on January 3 -- the same day that US special forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid -- carrying around 1.9 million barrels of oil, <a data-fr-linked="true" href="//TankersTrackers.com" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">TankersTrackers.com</a> said. The ship is listed under US sanctions relating to Iran, according to the website of the US Treasury&#39;s Office of Foreign Asset Control. Officials did not immediately confirm whether the tanker was seized or redirected following the boarding. Still, they described the move as part of a broader campaign to disrupt illicit oil trade networks. &quot;By land, air, or sea, we will find you and deliver justice,&quot; officials warned, signaling continued operations against what they termed &quot;illicit actors and their proxies&quot; in the maritime domain.

US forces boarded the Panama-flagged tanker Veronica III in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, accusing it of violating sanctions on Venezuelan and Iranian oil, the Department of War said in a statement on X.

US forces board tanker in Indian Ocean after Venezuela blockade evasion

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal will represent Pakistan at the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected government of the People&rsquo;s Republic of Bangladesh, scheduled to be held on Feb. 17 in Dhaka.&nbsp;According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will not be able to attend the ceremony due to a prior overseas engagement.&nbsp;Earlier, the Ministry of Planning and Development confirmed that the<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-sharif-to-be-invited-to-bangladesh-swearingin-report" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">&nbsp;invitation had been extended to the prime minister</a>. However, owing to his pre-scheduled foreign commitments, Ahsan Iqbal will attend the ceremony on his behalf.&nbsp;The planning minister has departed for Bangladesh to participate in the swearing-in ceremony and represent Pakistan at the high-level event. During his visit, he is expected to hold important meetings with senior Bangladeshi officials.&nbsp;The Foreign Office said Pakistan&rsquo;s participation reflects its support for Bangladesh&rsquo;s democratic process and underscores Islamabad&rsquo;s commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations.&nbsp;Speaking ahead of his departure, Ahsan Iqbal said both countries aim to reinforce their friendly ties and open new avenues of cooperation in political, economic and development sectors. He added that Pakistan remains keen to deepen mutually beneficial engagement with Bangladesh across various fields.

Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal

Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Planning and Development confirms that the invitation had been extended to the prime minister. However, owing to his pre-scheduled foreign commitments, Ahsan Iqbal will attend the ceremony on his behalf.

Planning Minister to represent Pakistan at Bangladesh oath-taking ceremony

Artificial Intelligence

Sam Altman said OpenAI hired OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, plans multi-agent “personal agents” as core products, will keep OpenClaw open-source, amid hype, security concerns, and pressure to monetize ChatGPT via ads.

OpenAI hires creator of 'OpenClaw' AI agent tool

MUMBAI: India is scrambling to defend a new trade deal with the United States that critics have branded as a surrender to Washington, as countries navigate the fallout from President Donald Trump&#39;s sweeping tariffs. The deal announced this month has rattled India&#39;s powerful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-farmers-slam-us-trade-deal-demand-commerce-ministers-resignation" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">farmers</a>&#39; unions, who argue that cheap US imports would throttle local producers in a country where agriculture employs more than 700 million people. Details of the deal remain sparse, limited to a joint statement and a White House factsheet, but New Delhi says an interim pact should be finalized by the end of March. Analysts warn that other elements of the agreement could also prove volatile. &quot;In the Trumpian era, there is nothing called certainty,&quot; trade expert Abhijit Das told AFP. Even if the deal is signed in a few weeks, it would only hold until Trump &quot;decides to impose more tariffs for any perceived inconsistency,&quot; he said. The most contentious pledge is India&#39;s stated intention to buy $500 billion worth of US goods over five years. India&#39;s annual imports from the US last fiscal year were around $45 billion. Doubling annual purchases to $100 billion &quot;is unrealistic&quot;, said Ajay Srivastava of the Global Trade Research Initiative, a New Delhi-based think tank. Intention not commitmentAircraft purchases were a major component of this commitment, but even a major expansion of Boeing aircraft orders -- decisions made by private airlines -- would fall far short, he said. &quot;Even if India were to add another 200 Boeing aircraft over the next five years, at an estimated cost of $300 million per aircraft, the total value would be about $60 billion.&quot; Some economists argue that the language around purchases is non‑binding, hence it protects New Delhi if it fails to meet the goal. &quot;Framing the target as an intention, rather than a commitment, reduces the risk of the deal later breaking down,&quot; Shivaan Tandon of Capital Economics said in a note on Friday. Trump&#39;s unpredictability also continues to loom large. He recently threatened higher tariffs on South Korea over perceived delays by Seoul in implementing a trade agreement announced last July. Another flashpoint is Washington&#39;s rollback of a 25 percent duty after what it described as India&#39;s &quot;commitment&quot; to stop buying Russian oil. This promise finds no mention in the joint statement and has neither been confirmed nor denied by the Indian government. India says its energy policy is driven by national interests and that the country depends on multiple sources for crude oil imports. &#39;Oil plank&#39;New Delhi&#39;s Russian oil imports have dropped from a mid‑2025 peak of more than two million barrels a day to about 1.1 million in January. Local reports say state-owned refiners have already started purchasing Venezuelan oil for delivery in April. But it remains unclear if Russian purchases will fall to zero. The outlook hinges heavily on Mumbai-headquartered Nayara Energy, partly owned by Russia&#39;s Rosneft, which Bloomberg reported plans to keep buying around 400,000 barrels a day. This will likely remain a bone of contention, given the Trump administration&#39;s stance that it intends to monitor India&#39;s imports. &quot;New Delhi continues to avoid publicly confirming a full halt and frames energy sourcing as driven by price and availability, which underlines ongoing ambiguity over the oil plank,&quot; Darren Tay of BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, told AFP. &quot;There is tentative evidence that Indian refiners are reducing spot purchases of Russian crude, implying partial adjustment rather than a formal pledge,&quot; Tay said. The deal remains &quot;too fragile and politically contested&quot; to justify a growth forecast change for India, he added.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (not pictured) in Putrajaya on February 8, 2026. (File photo by Hasnoor Hussain / AFP)

India

The deal with Washington has sparked backlash, with experts doubting India can meet ambitious US purchase targets and warning that tariff threats and uncertainty over Russian oil imports could destabilize the fragile pact.

India forced to defend US trade deal as doubts mount

PARIS: Over a hundred top figures from the world of entertainment signed an open letter Saturday in support of UN Palestinian human rights expert Francesca Albanese, who faces calls to resign over comments about the war in Gaza.&nbsp;France and Germany have called for Albanese to step down over remarks last weekend in which she referred to a &quot;common enemy of humanity&quot; after criticizing &quot;most of the world&quot; and the media for enabling Israel&#39;s &quot;genocide&quot; in Gaza.&nbsp;Critics and Israel have accused the UN Special Rapporteur of referring to Israel as a &quot;common enemy&quot;, while Albanese has denounced this as a &quot;manipulation&quot; and &quot;completely false&quot;.&nbsp;In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over 100 cultural figures backed her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.&nbsp;The signatories &quot;offer our full support to Francesca Albanese, a defender of human rights and therefore also of the Palestinian people&#39;s right to exist,&quot; the letter says.&nbsp;&quot;There are infinitely more of us, in every corner of the Earth, who want force no longer to be the law. Who knows what the word &#39;law&#39; truly means,&quot; it concludes.&nbsp;Published in French on the website of Artists for Palestine, it also reproduces the full remarks by Albanese who was speaking via videoconference at a forum last Saturday organised by the Al Jazeera TV network.&nbsp;Other celebrities to offer support for her include actresses Rosa Salazar and Asia Argento, Oscar-nominated film directors Yorgos Lanthimos and Kaouther Ben Hania, Latin music star Residente, and photographer Nan Goldin.&nbsp;A group of French MPs sent a letter to French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday denouncing Albanese&#39;s remarks as &quot;antisemitic&quot;.&nbsp;Barrot called for her to step down a day later, saying that France &quot;unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks&quot;.&nbsp;German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Thursday said her position was &quot;untenable&quot;.&nbsp;&#39;Shame of our time&#39;Albanese is one of the most outspoken critics of Israel&#39;s more-than-two-year bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of over 70,000 people and the destruction of most of the territory&#39;s infrastructure. She has called it &quot;the shame of our time&quot; and says she always asks prime ministers, presidents and foreign ministers the same question: &quot;How do you sleep? When will you act?&quot; The Italian-born legal expert, who began her unpaid role in 2022, was targeted with sanctions by the Trump administration in July last year over what it called her &quot;biased and malicious&quot; work.&nbsp;&nbsp;UN special rapporteurs like Albanese are independent experts who are appointed by the UN rights council, but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.&nbsp;UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres distanced himself from Albanese on Thursday when his spokesman said &quot;we don&rsquo;t agree with much of what she says.&quot; &quot;We wouldn&rsquo;t use the language that she&rsquo;s using in describing the situation,&quot; his spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.&nbsp;The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas&#39;s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people. On that day, militants abducted 251 people into Gaza.

United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese looks on at the end of a press conference on the human rights situation in Gaza in Geneva on September 15, 2025. (Photo: AFP/File)

In a letter organised by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over a 100 cultural figures back her, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux and British musician Annie Lennox.

Top entertainment figures back under-fire UN Palestinians expert 

ISLAMABAD: A senior US official has highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s strategic importance in regional and multilateral diplomacy following high-level meetings on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference in Germany.&nbsp;The recognition comes days after Pakistan&rsquo;s Chief of Defense Staff&nbsp;Field Marshal <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/field-marshal-asim-munir-meets-us-state-secretary-on-munich-security-conference-sidelines" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Asim Munir met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;and other senior American defense leaders to discuss global and regional security issues, with a focus on South Asia, Pakistani officials said.&nbsp;Speaking at the Munich forum, US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Pakistan plays a pivotal role in Washington&rsquo;s broader diplomatic engagement in the region.&nbsp;He referred to past periods of heightened tensions in South Asia, including nuclear-related crises involving India and Pakistan over Kashmir, and stressed the continued US interest in maintaining strategic stability.&nbsp;Waltz also cited Pakistan&rsquo;s cooperation in multilateral forums, including engagement at the United Nations Security Council. He said initiatives such as the &ldquo;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-confirms-participation-in-board-of-peace-meeting" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Board of Peace</a>&rdquo; had been established unanimously with backing from countries including Pakistan, as well as US allies Britain and France.&nbsp;Highlighting US outreach to Muslim-majority nations, Waltz described Pakistan as an important partner in fostering regional coordination. He said Washington was working to build a network of friendly countries, naming Pakistan, Turkiye and Indonesia among those engaged in dialogue and cooperation.&nbsp;In related remarks, Waltz said President Donald Trump had brought together regional and Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, Turkiye and Indonesia, to encourage collective engagement on shared challenges.&nbsp;The comments signal continued recognition in Washington of Pakistan&rsquo;s diplomatic relevance and its role in promoting stability in South Asia and beyond.

This handout photograph released by Pakistan's Prime Minister Office on September 26, 2025, shows Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (L), Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (R) posing with US President Donald Trump (C) at the White House i

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz says Pakistan plays a pivotal role in Washington’s broader diplomatic engagement in the region.

US officials underscore Pakistan’s role in regional stability at Munich conference

Rubio, on a brief visit to Slovakia, said Navalny's death was "very serious" and the US decision not to join the report "doesn't mean we disagree with the outcome".