Hasn't Acknowledged Taliban Yet: Russia Invites Afghanistan To Join China Meeting, Prepares Humanitarian Aid

Russia's Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov. (Wikimedia Commons/DFID - UK Department for International Development)

JAKARTA - The Russian government will invite the Taliban to international talks on Afghanistan scheduled for October 20 in Moscow, the Kremlin's envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said Thursday.

In response to a question from Russian journalists about whether representatives of the group would be invited to negotiations involving China, India, Iran, and Pakistan, Kabulov said, "Yes," citing the October 7 Daily Sabah.

The talks will follow the G-20 summit on Afghanistan on October 12, which will seek to help the country avoid a humanitarian catastrophe following the takeover of the Taliban.

Asked if Russia would send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Kabulov said the Kremlin would send aid, but details were still being decided.

Separately, a top UN official warned on Wednesday that the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan was getting worse.

"This is being worked on," Kabulov told reporters, saying "cargo" was being collected.

Moscow has moved to get involved in helping the Taliban, although it has not recognized the group, which is banned as a terrorist organization in Russia.

On Monday, Kabulov said Moscow would not 'exclude' revising its UN sanctions regime against the Taliban.

"But at this stage, we believe there is no need to rush," he said.

Russia has warned about members of 'extremist' groups exploiting political turmoil in Afghanistan to flee Afghanistan to neighboring countries as refugees.

To note, Afghanistan shares a border with Tajikistan of the former Soviet Union, where Russia maintains its main military base.