"Humanitarian disaster": Putin spoke about the results of the US presence in Afghanistan

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the situation that happened in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US troops from there a disaster.

“You know, this is, of course, a good opportunity to stomp on what happened in Afghanistan and on American politics.

Indeed, this is a disaster, it is true.

These are not my words, these are the words of American analysts themselves, ”said the Russian leader during the plenary session of EEF-2021.

He recalled that Americans are "very pragmatic people."

At the same time, Putin noted, the United States spent over $ 1.5 trillion on the campaign in Afghanistan.

“And what is the result?

Zero, ”the president said.

He drew attention to the number of people who were “abandoned in Afghanistan” after working for the collective West.

"This is also a humanitarian disaster," Putin stressed.

The President also noted that the collective West continues to impose standards on other countries from outside, despite the lessons of Afghanistan.

In this regard, the President also referred to sanctions, calling them a tool to continue the policy of imposing standards.

“I hope there will come a realization that to act from the previous positions, and the previous positions were to“ civilize ”other peoples, to introduce elements of civilization there in the pattern and likeness of those who do it, that this is a wrong policy,” he said. he.

The head of state also said that he discussed the situation in Afghanistan with many colleagues, since the events in this country pose a threat to the states neighboring Russia.

According to him, in case of "disintegration" in Afghanistan "there will be no one to talk to."

Also on russian.rt.com, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the US airstrike in Kabul, which killed civilians

“If we keep in mind that we have no visa restrictions, free movement actually across borders, this is very important for us, for Russia, from the point of view of ensuring our security,” the president explained.

Putin noted that the sooner the Taliban enter the "family of civilized peoples", the easier it will be for foreign countries to interact with them.

"(It will be easier. -

RT

) to communicate, and somehow influence, and ask some questions, if not demand, then raise questions about the fact that civilized rules must be observed within the framework of civilized relations," the Russian leader added.

Meanwhile, the European Union also spoke on the topic of interaction with the Taliban.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the EU will contact the Afghan government, which will be formed by representatives of the Taliban, to "support the country's population."

He spoke about this at a press conference within the framework of an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of the countries - members of the community, held in the capital of Slovenia.

“To support the population of Afghanistan, we must interact with the new Afghan government, which does not mean its political recognition.

This is just an operational dialogue, ”TASS quotes Borrell as saying.

"Bursts of confrontation will give way to negotiations"

Recall that in mid-August, representatives of the Taliban, after seizing almost the entire territory of Afghanistan, announced the end of the war.

President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also spoke about the importance of dialogue with the Taliban.

During his speech to the participants of the New Knowledge marathon, the minister expressed the hope that there remains an opportunity in Afghanistan to resolve the problems peacefully.

“I hope that now the last outbursts of confrontation in the north of Afghanistan in the Panjshir Gorge will still give way to negotiations,” he said.

Lavrov also recalled that the Russian side had contact with all Afghan communities without exception, including the Taliban.

According to him, statements that one should not communicate with the Taliban is "from the evil one."

"There is a UN Security Council decision that does not declare the entire Taliban movement terrorist, but imposes sanctions on specific Taliban leaders for specific sins, including in terms of terrorist activities, involvement in drug trafficking, and so on," the minister explained.

He stressed that it is impossible to solve the problems of this country without a dialogue with all key players in the events in Afghanistan.

“Trying to assert that the Taliban are not the main player is not very realistic,” Lavrov concluded.

Earlier, RT correspondent Murad Gazdiev, who is in Afghanistan, spoke about the behavior of the Taliban.

According to the journalist, the militants who have taken control of Kabul are "the Taliban from a different material compared to what they were before, in the 1990s."

According to him, a calm situation has been established in Kabul, although "sometimes shots are heard."

“These are completely different people ... I don’t want to praise anyone here or take sides, but, objectively speaking, this is already a political, and not a religious fanatical force, as it was before,” concluded Gazdiev in the stream “ Beautiful Russia boo-boo-boo. "

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