Russian President Vladimir Putin, , said that the situation in Afghanistan would be worse had the United States not intervened.
According to Russian news agencies, Putin told a meeting with the parliamentary leadership that, “Indeed, it [the situation with terrorist threat in Afghanistan] has worsened, it is true, it keeps deteriorating.” “But if the US were not there, it would probably be worse,” said the president. Russia and the US “have complex relationship, but we must approach the subject objectively,” TOLO News reported Putin as saying. He said that the Taliban are stationed practically along the whole border between Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Putin further stated that he, “spoke with the president of Turkmenistan today, and he reiterated his plans to build a gas transmission system across Afghanistan and further to its neighbours – Pakistan and India,”
“He invites us to participate to work on projects. Generally, certain projects are indeed implemented there quite successfully. But we must take a look, of course, at how feasible projects of this kind will be,” he noted. The appearance in Afghanistan of Islamic State (IS) insurgents who have already begun confrontations with the Taliban is an alarming factor.
“This additionally worsens the situation there,” the Russian president said. In an interview with RIA state news agency published earlier, Russia’s Foreign Ministry official declared that Moscow stands ready to cooperate with the US on Afghanistan.
Russia maintains contact with acting US Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells, said Zamir Kabulov, special representative to the Russian president on Afghanistan and the head of the Asian region department at the foreign ministry.
