Russian presidential envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, after a meeting with U.S. counterpart Alice Wells, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan said that Washington is willing to co-operate with Moscow to stabilize the region. He also took an aim at economic and financial sanctions imposed by Washington as a hindrance to further co-operation. Kabulov pointed out that Afghanistan is one of a few areas where there is a room for pain-free cooperation between Moscow and Washington but at the same time, he noted that anti-Russia sanctions limit opportunities for mutual work on pressing international issues. He said, “[Wells] understands that there are sanctions, but it was they who introduced them…You introduced them, then you are to lift them, if you want to cooperate with us”.

UN Security Council, with the approval of Afghanistan’s government, ruled to allow the Taliban to enter peace talks under conditions that include severing terrorist links, bringing armed resistance to an end, and respecting Afghanistan’s constitution and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has already said that the United States is ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban without preconditions. However, cooperating with Taliban remains a major contentious issue at U.S. Congress, which imposed fresh new sanctions on Russia this year for alleged interference and curbed President Trump’s power to unilaterally remove sanctions on Russia.

U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan for 16 years now, which is its longest war in history so far.