UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – The United States and Russia should hold talks on Afghanistan in order to get a clear picture of the US goals in that country, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told reporters.
"Needless to say, in order to get a feel of how and what the United States is trying to accomplish in Afghanistan we should talk to them about it. Serious and meaningful consultations should be conducted in this regard," Nebenzia said on Friday.
Nebenzia also said history has proved on numerous occasions there is no military solution in Afghanistan, which makes the existence of a political process absolutely crucial to bringing about a solution.
Moreover, Nebenzia expressed Moscow’s concern over the increased presence in Afghanistan of the fighters belonging to the Daesh terror group (banned in Russia) and the persisting problem of drug production and trafficking.
On August 21, US President Donald Trump announced a new strategy for Afghanistan that would give more freedom to US military commanders to use force and pledged to keep and increase US troop levels until extremist threats were eliminated.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, US Defense Department Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said approximately 11,000 US troops are currently stationed in Afghanistan.
