Pakistan's Prime Minister Meets Putin as Russia Attacks Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin of Russia hosted Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for "wide-ranging consultations" Thursday, covering bilateral relations and regional as well as international issues of "mutual interest."

Khan arrived in Moscow the previous day on a long-planned two-day "working" visit, the first by a Pakistani prime minister in 23 years, hours before Russian forces attacked Ukraine.

Pakistani officials said Thursday's three-hour meeting was held at the Kremlin, where the two leaders also discussed the Ukraine crisis.

"The prime minister regretted the latest situation between Russia and Ukraine and said that Pakistan had hoped diplomacy could avert a military conflict," Khan's office quoted him in a post-meeting statement as telling Putin.

Imran Khan "stressed that conflict was not in anyone's interest" and noted "the developing countries were always hit the hardest economically in case of conflict." He went on to underline Pakistan's "belief" that disputes should be settled through dialogue and diplomacy, according to the statement.

The Russian president's office said in a brief statement the two sides "discussed the main aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on current regional topics, including developments in South Asia."

Khan is the first foreign leader to have visited Moscow since Putin recognized the independence of Ukraine's breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk earlier this week and had Russian forces invade the country early Thursday.

The military deployment escalated tensions with the West and drew international condemnation and sanctions against Russia, with the United States promising to impose tougher new sanctions.

Before meeting with Putin, Khan attended a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow.