Russian ambassador in Kabul to meet with Taliban

MOSCOW

Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov is planning to meet with the Taliban representatives, the diplomatic mission announced in Kabul on Monday.

The date is being worked out, Nikita Ischenko, press attaché of the Russian Embassy told reporters.

“A meeting is being planned with the chief coordinator of the Taliban movement in Kabul, who is handling the surrender of government forces. It is aimed at ensuring the security of the embassy's activities, which continues to operate normally,” he said.

In a separate statement, Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Moscow will not rush to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate authorities.

“Firstly, no one is going to rush with this (with recognition). Recognition or non-recognition will depend on the behavior of the new authorities. We will carefully look at how responsibly they will govern the country in the near future. As a result, the Russian leadership will draw the necessary conclusions and make a decision,” Kabulov said.

After capturing many key strategic provincial capitals in recent days, forcing government forces to surrender or flee, Taliban fighters on Sunday reached the capital city.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and his close aides have left the country.

Following Ghani's departure, former President Hamid Karzai, veteran politician Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, and top peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah formed a council with an aim to ensure a smooth power transition.