Taliban Negotiators Meet With Russian Officials After Trump Ends Talks
Taliban Negotiators Meet With Russian Officials After Trump Ends Talks by Craig Nelson and Thomas Grove – Wall Street Journal
Taliban negotiators have held talks with Russian officials in Moscow, in an apparent effort to restart discussions with the U.S. just days after President Trump killed a nearly completed deal to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan and declared negotiations with the insurgent group dead.
The Taliban’s representatives met President Vladimir Putin ’s envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, on Friday in the Russian capital, the state news agency Tass said. Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, confirmed on Saturday that the consultations had taken place.
Neither Mr. Shaheen nor the Russian government disclosed the agenda of the discussions. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Taliban officials confirmed their interest in continued talks with Washington. During the discussions, Mr. Kabulov also stressed the importance of resuming the U.S.-Taliban talks, Russia’s Interfax news agency said…