Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said talks with representatives of the Taliban (banned in Russia) were necessary and the head of state is aware of such contacts.
"Certainly Vladimir Putin is aware," Peskov told reporters. "Contacts are necessary. Against the backdrop of how tense the situation in Afghanistan is, how the situation on the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan is developing, these talks are necessary," he stressed.
The Kremlin spokesman did not comment on whether Russia might recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan if they occupy the whole country. "There is hardly any eventual reasoning appropriate here. So I don't think it is possible to answer this question in any way," Peskov said.
A delegation from the Qatari political office of the Taliban is in Moscow. On Thursday, Zamir Kabulov, the Russian President's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Director of the Second Asia Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, met with the Taliban. The Russian Foreign Ministry reported following the meeting that the Taliban assured that they would not violate the borders of Central Asian states, and also guaranteed the security of foreign countries' diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Mikhail Metzel / TASS
Based on materials from TASS