President Putin Praises Taliban's Efforts To Fight ISIS And Support Asset Disbursement

Presiden Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his support for the Taliban's request, urging Western countries to cash in on Afghanistan's financial assets.

In addition, speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, President Putin said Western countries bear 'main responsibility' for what is happening in Afghanistan.

"The main responsibility for what happens there lies with the countries that have been at war there for 20 years," Putin said.

"The first thing they should do, in my opinion, is disburse Afghan assets to give Afghanistan the possibility of solving social problems, very important economic problems," he continued.

President Putin also praised the Taliban for their efforts in fighting the terrorist group Daesh or ISIS in Afghanistan, noting there were casualties among the movement.

In addition, he also praised Pakistan's role in resolving Afghanistan by mentioning the country as one of the important players in the region. Interestingly, President Putin also praised President Joe Biden by calling his decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan the right one.

"He did the right thing by withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. He may understand, maybe he doesn't know the details of how this will happen, but he understands that one way or another, at home, this will be one path of attack, but he did, accepted, assumed this responsibility," said President Putin.

He said Russia is interested in having a peaceful Afghanistan, developing free from terrorist threats and drug trafficking, and for that, it needs to help Afghanistan recover its economy.

"The withdrawal could have been done differently, but over time, everything will work out," Putin said.

He added that, regarding security issues, Russian law enforcement maintains necessary contacts with relevant Afghan structures. He is also interested in holding one of the Valdai Discussion Club friends in Afghanistan in the future.