TO SAY HELLO?

Taliban Meets With Putin’s Afghan Envoy After U.S. Talks Collapse

After Trump canceled a “secret” Camp David meeting with Taliban leaders last week.

A Taliban negotiating team arrived in Russia on Friday, days after President Trump declared a potential peace deal with the group dead. The Associated Press, citing a Russian state news agency, reported that a Taliban spokesman said their delegation held consultations with President Vladimir Putin’s envoy for Afghanistan. According to the Interfax news agency, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the meeting underscored the need for the U.S. to renew talks with the Taliban, and the group is said to have confirmed its willingness for continued dialogue with the U.S. The Taliban spokesman reportedly said it was still in contact with U.S. negotiators—mostly to find out what would happen next. The visit comes days after Trump said he canceled a Camp David meeting with Taliban leaders after the group admitted to an attack in Kabul that killed a U.S. soldier.