Russia hopes US-Taliban peace deal won't fail

MOSCOW: Russia hopes that the US-Taliban peace deal will be fully implemented, although the agreement has not yet led to immediate positive changes in Afghanistan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Establishing genuine peace should be "an unquestionable priority" for all political and social forces in Afghanistan, the ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing.

These forces should put aside their differences with the aim of defending the interests of the Afghan people, she added.

On Feb 29, representatives of the United States and the Taliban signed the long-awaited deal in the Qatari capital city of Doha, calling for a gradual withdrawal of US troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups.

Khalilzad moves to prevent Taliban deal from unravelling

However, US forces in Afghanistan on Wednesday conducted an airstrike in support of Afghan security forces in southern Helmand province against Taliban fighters, the first raid after the U.S.-Taliban deal.

On Thursday, the US demanded an immediate reduction in violence in Afghanistan and reiterated its commitment to facilitating a prisoner exchange under the peace agreement signed with the Taliban.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that there was an “unacceptable” spike in Taliban attacks.

“The upsurge in violence in parts of Afghanistan over the last couple days is unacceptable,” Pompeo said at a news conference. “Violence must be reduced immediately for the peace process to move forward,” he added.

With additional input from News Desk