Donald Trump's Afghan plan futile', says Russia

Moscow: Russia’s foreign minister on Thursday called the new US strategy for Afghanistan regrettable, saying the blueprint unveiled by President Donald Trump was a “futile course”.

Speaking at a press-conference in Moscow, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia has expressed “regret that the main focus of the new (Afghanistan) strategy announced by Washington is regulation by methods of force.”

“We are certain this is a futile course,” he said, furthermore rejecting suggestions that Moscow was behind supplying the Taliban.

Mr Trump this week announced 4,000 new troops for deployment to Afghanistan, backtracking from his earlier promise to end America’s longest war, though other specifics of the plan remain unclear.

Secretary of state Rex Tillerson furthermore suggested on Tuesday that Moscow is arming the Taliban. “To the extent Russia is supplying arms to the Taliban, that is a violation, obviously, of international norms,” he said.

“It’s not the first time we are accused of supporting and even arming the Taliban,” Mr Lavrov said. “Not one fact has been presented” to support this, he said.

Earlier in 2017, a similar allegation was made by Nato commander Curtis Scaparrotti, who said Moscow is assisting and possibly supplying the Taliban and its influence is growing in Afghanistan.