Russia hopes U.S.-Taliban peace deal won't fail

Russia hopes that the U.S.-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 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 U.S. troops if the Taliban negotiates with the Afghan government and cuts ties with terrorist groups.

However, U.S. 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.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)