London intends to cooperate with Russia and a number of other countries on the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan.

This was stated by British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab in an interview with The Telegraph.

“Whatever inconvenience this may cause, we will have to involve (to solve the problem. -

RT

) countries with potentially deterrent influence, such as Russia and China.

This week, the UK initiated a five-state meeting to create a contact group on Afghanistan, Raab said.

"If we want to exert maximum deterrent influence on the Taliban *, we need to cooperate with India, Pakistan, China and other countries concerned about the problem of terrorism and refugees."

Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in his article for the Institute for Global Change, criticized the United States for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, calling it tragic and unnecessary.

“After all, it is quite obvious that the decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in the way it was done was made not for strategic reasons, but for political reasons.

We were not obliged to act this way, but we made such a choice, obeying a stupid political slogan to end “endless wars,” the former prime minister said.

At the same time, he stressed that the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan worries the allies of Great Britain and pleases those who "wish her harm."

“Russia, China and Iran will see this as an opportunity and seize it,” says Blair.

The fact that Moscow can use the situation around Afghanistan for its own purposes was also stated by former US President Donald Trump.

According to him, the Russian Federation is supposedly going to return to the Islamic republic.

He announced this, speaking to his supporters in Alabama, after which he again criticized the policy of the current head of the White House.

"Biden's mediocre exit from Afghanistan is the most striking manifestation of blatant incompetence on the part of the leader of any country, perhaps in all (world. -

RT

) history," Trump said.

  • US military in Afghanistan, June 16, 2021

  • Reuters

  • © US Army / Sgt.

    1st Class Corey Vandiver

In his opinion, this was not a withdrawal of troops, but a "complete surrender."

“Our actions have nothing to do with leaving with honor,” Trump said, however, admitting the possibility of the return of the American contingent to Afghanistan in the future.

"Pull the blanket 

over to your side"

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State Pedagogical University, the statements of ex-US President Trump and ex-British Prime Minister Blair that Russia allegedly wants to take advantage of the hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan should be viewed only as an attempt to remind of itself.

“Trump also has a goal - to use any excuse to convict Biden of mistakes.

And the Russian factor in this case is used by him to enhance the effect.

Blair also decided to speculate on Russia's role in the Afghan issue.

In fact, because of what is happening in the Islamic republic, the threat from terrorists to the Russian Federation and its allies has increased significantly.

And Moscow will defend the borders of its country, as well as its partner states.

But there is no question of entering Afghanistan, "Shapovalov emphasized in an interview with RT.

At the same time, the expert is in no hurry to evaluate the statement of Raab about London's intentions to involve the Russian Federation in resolving the issue of resolving the situation in Afghanistan in a positive way.

“Against the background of London's unfriendly and even aggressive policy towards Moscow, such statements look rather duplicitous.

But, probably, even Great Britain has already begun to understand that Russia, as a responsible state protecting its national interests, is trying and will try to help resolve the Afghan issue.

And here London is trying to jump into the last car of the departing train, when there is already a basis for resolving the situation, ”the analyst said.

In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, a researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a conversation with RT that, by taking the initiative to involve Russia and other countries in resolving the situation in Afghanistan, Great Britain wants to increase its importance in the eyes of the world community.

“Recently, London has positioned itself extremely ambitiously, issuing program documents related to foreign policy.

Britain wants to be involved in the Afghan issue, but in reality it does not play a significant role in Afghanistan.

And in order to somehow pull the blanket over to her side, she puts forward such proposals, although Russia is making efforts to help the Afghan people without them, ”the expert said.

Afghan question

Let us remind you that the military-political situation in Afghanistan worsened after the hasty withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country began.

This provoked a large-scale offensive by the radical Taliban movement against the positions of government forces.

As a result of this confrontation, the Taliban entered Kabul, declared that the republic was completely under their control, and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, motivating his actions with a desire to "prevent the massacre" in all of Kabul, which the Taliban could have arranged to overthrow him.

Later, Taliban officials announced the end of the war in Afghanistan.

  • Kabul

  • AFP

  • © HOSHANG HASHIMI

As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on August 17, the Taliban in Kabul "are now declaring and in practice proving their readiness to respect the opinion of others."

The head of the Russian foreign policy department called this a "positive signal."

"They said that they are ready to discuss a government in which not only they, but also other Afghan representatives will participate," Lavrov explained.

According to the minister, Moscow is convinced that only "an all-encompassing dialogue with the participation of all key forces is possible as a step towards normalizing the situation in Afghanistan."

At the same time, he stressed that it is necessary to be guided "not by the criteria that the Americans and NATO have tried to introduce there for 20 years, but by respect for the traditions, history, and customs of all Afghans."

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Minister called the joint work of Russia and the West "in demand", in particular, on the Afghan issue.

“This again very clearly manifested itself against the background of the collapse of the situation in Afghanistan after the hasty withdrawal of the United States and NATO from there,” Lavrov said.

Two days later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia is ready to provide its aviation to ensure the flight of any number of Afghan citizens, including women and children, "to any foreign countries that show interest in their reception and accommodation."

“As representatives of the new authorities in Afghanistan assured us, there are no fundamental obstacles to the arrival and departure of Russian aircraft in Kabul.

The safety of aircraft, crews and passengers is guaranteed, ”Zakharova said.

According to her, Russia is ready to take such a step to prevent the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan in light of the "inability of a number of Western states to arrange the export of their diplomats, military personnel and civilians from Afghanistan, not to mention the Afghans who collaborated with them and their families who want to leave country, but do not have such an opportunity. "

According to analysts, due to the fact that the United States, Great Britain and other NATO countries have suffered a colossal setback in Afghanistan, Russia is forced not only to provide assistance to the Afghans, including through the provision of aviation, but also to strengthen the security of the entire region.

“Moscow is naturally involved in Afghan problems, since the countries that border on Russia are Afghanistan's closest neighbors.

For this reason, the Russian Federation is interested in the fastest possible normalization of the situation, as well as in ensuring that there is peace and order in the region, which cannot be said about the United States and Great Britain, which are located in a completely different part of the planet.

It was their actions, mistakes, inability to competently structure the withdrawal of troops and the desire to impose their notorious "democracy" that led to the aggravation of the situation in Afghanistan and throughout the region, "Shapovalov concluded.

*

"Taliban" - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of February 14, 2003.