Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Taliban, a group banned in Russia, are Moscow's "allies" in the fight against terrorism because they control Afghanistan.
"We have to accept that the Taliban control power in the country. And in this sense, of course, the Taliban are our allies in the fight against terrorism, because every government is interested in stability in the country it governs," Putin said in Astana, AFP reported.
Moscow has maintained relations with the Taliban for years, although they have been a banned organisation in Russia since 2003, and last month Putin urged Moscow to "build" relations with the Taliban government.
The Taliban are fighting their jihadist rival Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) in Afghanistan.
In March, IS-K fighters killed more than 140 people in an attack on a concert hall in Moscow, the deadliest terrorist attack in Russia in nearly two decades.
Putin said the Taliban had "assumed some responsibilities" but that there were still "problems that need constant attention inside the country and from the international community".
"I am sure the Taliban are interested in everything in Afghanistan being stable," he added.
Moscow has warmed its relations with Afghanistan, which has a complicated history since the Soviet invasion in the 1980s following the US withdrawal from the country.
But it does not officially recognise the Taliban government and what it calls the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan".
Putin has also said he takes seriously comments by US presidential candidate Donald Trump that could lead to a quick end to fighting in Ukraine.
"The fact that Mr. Trump as a presidential candidate says that he is ready and willing to stop the war in Ukraine, we take that very seriously," Putin said at a news conference in Astana.
Putin added that he was "not familiar" with Trump's specific proposals to end the fighting, which has been going on for three years.
"This, of course, is the main issue," Putin said.
"But I have no doubt that he says it sincerely and we support him," he added.
Putin has always maintained that he is open to talks to end the conflict, although last month he demanded an effective surrender from Ukraine as a precondition for a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire, which he says Russia will use to regroup and rearm.
Kiev wants Russian forces to leave the country entirely, including the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, as part of any agreement, and for Russia to pay compensation for the damage and destruction caused by the conflict.
Russian troops have made modest progress on the battlefield this year after the Ukrainian counter-offensive in 2023 was largely unsuccessful. | BGNES
