MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on the global community to prevent the "collapse" of Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
"The Taliban movement control almost the entire territory of the country," he told a televised press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Kremlin.
"These are the realities and it is from these realities that we must proceed, preventing the collapse of the Afghan state," he added.
Both leaders said Afghanistan figured prominently during the outgoing German leader's final working visit to Russia.
Putin also criticised the "irresponsible policy" of imposing "outside values" on war-torn Afghanistan.
"You cannot impose standards of political life and behaviour on other people from outside," Putin said.
The Russian president also highlighted the importance of preventing "terrorists" from entering neighbouring countries from Afghanistan, including "under the guise of refugees".
Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new leadership in Kabul and is seeking contact with the militants in an effort to avoid instability spilling over to neighbouring ex-Soviet states.
The Kremlin has in recent years reached out to the Taliban - which is banned as an "extremist" group in Russia - and hosted its representatives in Moscow several times, most recently last month.
Putin says world must prevent ‘collapse’ of Afghanistan
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Putin says world must prevent ‘collapse’ of Afghanistan
- Putin criticised the "irresponsible policy" of imposing "outside values" on war-torn Afghanistan
- "You cannot impose standards of political life and behaviour on other people from outside," he added
UK defense minister suggests Putin’s ‘hidden hand’ behind Iran tactics
LONDON: UK Defense Minister John Healey suggested on Thursday that Russia was influencing Iran’s use of drone attacks in its war with the United States and Israel.
Healey said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “hidden hand” may be behind some of the tactics deployed by Tehran in the Middle East conflict, which started when the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28.
He told reporters that officials were analyzing an Iranian-made drone that hit the UK’s Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus on March 1 “for any evidence of Russian or any other foreign components and parts.”
“We will update you and appropriately publish any findings from that when we’ve got them,” he said during a visit to Britain’s military headquarters in Northwood, near London.
“But I think no one will be surprised to believe that Putin’s hidden hand is behind some of the Iranian tactics, potentially some of their capabilities as well, not least because one world leader that is benefiting from the sky high oil prices at the moment is Putin,” he added.
Russia is a close ally of Iran, with the two agreeing last year to help each other counter “common threats.”
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he had no indication Russia was supporting Iran in the war, but that if they were, it was not “helping much.”
Nick Perry, the British military’s chief of joint operations, told Healey there were “definitively” signs of a link between Russia and Iran, including Iran’s use of drones “as learned from the Russians.”
No one was injured when the drone hit a hangar at Akrotiri. British warplanes shot down a further two drones heading for the base the same day.
Guy Foden, a brigadier in the British army, briefed Healey that UK troops based at a military base housing international coalition troops in Irbil, Iraq, had helped shoot down two Iranian drones on Wednesday.
