Russia does not want to see US servicemen on the territory of Central Asian countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Tuesday.
"No, I'll explain to you honestly. First of all, we have a common security space. And in this space, we have our obligations. I'm referring to the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which implies the agreement of all allies on issues related to the deployment of foreign military forces on their territory," he said in response to a question about whether Russia would want to see American soldiers in Central Asia.
Lavrov explained that the main reason for not wanting US soldiers in the region is their desire to place some of their infrastructure, weapons and troops on the territory of neighboring countries in order to strike at the territory of Afghanistan if necessary.
"If you think that any country, whether it's Central Asia or anywhere else, is interested in becoming such a target for the sake of the Americans to satisfy some of their initiatives, I strongly doubt that anyone needs it," the minister added.
The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported, quoting high-ranking officials of the two countries, that at the Russian-American summit in Geneva in June, US President Joe Biden had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy American forces in the Central Asian countries bordering Afghanistan after the withdrawal of troops from the republic. According to its information, US authorities wanted to deploy bases with drones as well as with counterterrorist units in the region after their withdrawal from Afghanistan, but Moscow refused.
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Based on materials from TASS