THANKS BUT NO THANKS

Trump Administration Turns Down Invite to Russia-Led Talks on Afghanistan

Taliban will join September meeting in Moscow.

Russia's proposed peace talks on Afghanistan are quickly turning into a farce. The Trump administration has turned down an invitation to join Kremlin-led talks on the war in Afghanistan, saying the summit is unlikely to work, and the Afghan government won’t be going either. The meeting is scheduled for Sept. 4 in Moscow—the Taliban is due to send representatives as are officials from Afghanistan’s neighboring countries. But the talks will have to go ahead without U.S. or Afghan representation. A State Department official said the U.S. supports Afghan-led efforts for a peace settlement and therefore couldn’t back the Russian talks. The unnamed official also said the talks were “unlikely to yield any progress.” An Afghan foreign ministry spokesman also said the peace process shouldn’t be led by Russia, adding that “a peace process without the cooperation of the Afghan government would not be successful.”