“There is no talk of recognizing the Taliban*, insofar as we stand for the inclusiveness of the process and the creation of coalition governing bodies with the participation of representatives of all political forces in Afghanistan,” he said during the Middle East conference of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

In mid-January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Russian side considers a meeting of representatives of the Taliban movement and Afghan opposition figures in Tehran a "step in the right direction."

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about Russia's consolidated work with other states on the issue of recognizing the Taliban.

* "Taliban" - the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.