Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Pakistan is concerned about terrorist attacks being sponsored from Afghan territory, adding that Islamabad believes the Afghan Taliban has not done enough to prevent such attacks.
Speaking about Pakistan, Rubio said the country believes the Taliban has failed to adequately constrain cross-border terrorism and has taken action in response to the threat.
“We don’t want Pakistan to be targeted by terrorism,” he said.
Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine war, Rubio said the United States was working to stop what he described as a very deadly conflict. He noted that Kyiv faces devastating attacks on its energy infrastructure every night, while an increasing number of civilians are also being killed.
Rubio further claimed that around 20,000 Russian soldiers are being killed every month, describing the conflict as extremely deadly and destructive. He warned that every passing month adds to the human cost of the war.
On US domestic politics, Rubio said foreign policy is largely directed by the executive branch and that the midterm elections would not change President Donald Trump’s directives or the agenda he was elected to implement.
He also noted that divided political control is not unusual in the American political system, citing former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who had to deal with Republican majorities in Congress at different points.
Addressing Brazil, Rubio said the US government was not directly involved in arrangements concerning Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure from the country.
On Russia’s nuclear capabilities, Rubio stressed that Moscow possesses a large number of nuclear weapons, adding that this important fact should not be overlooked.
Commenting on Iran, Rubio said Tehran had been waging war against its neighbouring countries in the region since 1979.