The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said the Russian Federation has expressed its strong opposition to the return of the Taliban’s regime and prefers improvement in the ongoing peace efforts. 

MOFA said that Russia is not in favor of removing the Taliban leaders’ names from the UN blacklist without progress in the Afghan peace talks. 

The High Council of Government that operates under the High Council for National Reconciliation convened its first meeting after months of delay on Saturday to ensure political consensus around peace among Afghanistan’s politicians. 

There are around 20 mainstream political leaders in the structure of the council, including Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum, who returned to Kabul from his hometown Jawzjan province on Saturday.