About: Afghanistan
Putin says Western military backing of Ukraine threatens Russia
President Vladimir Putin said that the Western-backed military development of Ukraine posed a serious threat to Russia, two days after the US defense secretary staged a show of support for Kyiv and encouraged its aspiration to join NATO.
Taliban meet EU-US delegation, Brussels pledges €1 billion aid
The Taliban held their first face-to-face talks with a joint US-EU delegation Tuesday (12 October) in Qatar, as Brussels pledged one billion euros ($1.2 billion) in aid for Afghanistan.
Under-pressure Taliban to meet EU in bid for ‘positive’ ties
The Taliban will hold face-to-face talks with European Union officials, the acting foreign minister said on Monday (11 October), in a diplomatic push by the hardline Islamists groping for international support.
US says Taliban talks in Doha were ‘candid and professional’
The United States said the first face-to-face meeting between senior US and Taliban officials since the hardline group retook power in Afghanistan was "candid and professional" and that the Taliban would be judged on their actions, not just their words.
On EU initiative, UN rights council creates Afghanistan rapporteur
The European Union on Thursday (7 October) won its battle at the UN Human Rights Council to create a new special rapporteur on Afghanistan, despite opposition from China, Russia and Pakistan.
Moscow invites Taliban to Afghanistan talks on 20 October
Russia will invite representatives of the Taliban to international talks on Afghanistan that it plans to host in Moscow on 20 October, President Vladimir Putin's special representative on Afghanistan said on Thursday (7 October).
Kazakh official: The Taliban are no threat to Central Asia
It is necessary to create conditions for dialogue with the new government in Afghanistan, regardless of its political attitudes and ideologies. This is very important for both the Central Asian countries and the EU, Kazakhstan's Talgat Kaliyev told EURACTIV in an interview.
EU working on a ‘presence on the ground’ in Afghanistan
Following the chaotic evacuation of international embassy staff from Kabul in August, the European External Action Service is now “working on a possible presence on the ground”, according to an EU official during an off-the-record briefing on Monday (27 September).
US, Russian military chiefs meet in Helsinki for six hours
The top US military officers from United States and Russia held six hours of talks in Helsinki, in the first face-to-face meeting between them since 2019 as both nations adjust to the US pullout and Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
Russian hackers targeted Afghan government before Taliban takeover, cybersecurity firm says
Talos Intelligence, the commercial threat intelligence team of software provider Cisco, said on Tuesday (21 September) it had identified a previously undocumented backdoor targeting the Afghan government ahead of the pullout of Western forces from the country in late August.
Asselborn: We will kill Schengen if border restrictions persist
Rejecting the idea of 'deportation centres' that would host Afghan refugees in Central Asia, Luxembourgish Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn told EURACTIV in an interview the EU holds enormous responsibility towards those who "helped us build an embryo of rule of law" in Afghanistan.
US says nearly 500 Afghan citizens evacuated from Uzbekistan
The United States said Tuesday (14 September) it had evacuated nearly 500 "military and civilian" Afghans from Uzbekistan, while the Central Asian country declared there were now no Afghan refugees on its territory.
Donors pledge $1.1 billion for ‘collapsing’ Afghanistan
Donors have pledged more than $1.1 billion to help Afghanistan, where poverty and hunger have spiralled since the Islamist Taliban took power, and foreign aid has dried up, raising the spectre of a mass exodus.
UN seeks $600 million to avert Afghanistan humanitarian crisis
The United Nations is convening an aid conference in Geneva on Monday (13 September) in an effort to raise more than $600 million for Afghanistan, warning of a humanitarian crisis there following the Taliban takeover.
Facing stalemate in ties, Biden and China’s Xi discuss avoiding conflict in call
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke for 90 minutes in their first talks in seven months on Thursday (9 September), discussing the need to avoid letting competition between the world's two largest economies veer into conflict.
First commercial flight takes off Kabul as UN accuses Taliban of harassment
The first international commercial flight under Afghanistan's new Taliban interim government departed Kabul on Thursday (9 September) carrying more than 100 foreigners, including some US citizens left behind after last month's chaotic Western airlift.
Lithuania pushes back Afghan migrants despite European Court stand
Lithuania on Thursday (9 September) pushed five Afghan migrants back to Belarus shortly after they had crossed the border despite the European Court of Human Rights earlier saying they should be allowed to stay.
Afghanistan faces near universal poverty within a year
Without major financial and logistical support, the people of Afghanistan face a future of poverty and humanitarian crisis, warns Achim Steiner.
EU border agency preparing for surge in Afghans seeking asylum in Europe
The EU is preparing for an influx of Afghans seeking asylum, whether or not people flee en masse from the new Taliban government, the chief of the EU border agency said, noting that millions are already displaced in neighbouring countries.
Chizhov: Russia is well-placed to play a constructive role in Afghanistan
In a wide-ranging interview, the Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov discussed Afghanistan, the ‘Crimea Platform’, carbon border tax, COVID and vaccines, and the new political season.
US, Germany to host talks on how to engage with Taliban
The EU on Wednesday (8 September) sharply criticised the composition of the new Taliban “caretaker” government, as international coordination efforts are under way to find a way in dealing with the new rulers in Kabul. The Taliban on Tuesday had...
Taliban name new Afghan government, interior minister on US sanctions list
The Taliban drew from its inner high echelons to fill top posts in Afghanistan's new government, including an associate of the Islamist militant group's founder as premier and a wanted man on a US terrorism list as interior minister.
Czech PM says ‘no place’ for Afghan refugees in Europe
There is no place for Afghan refugees in the European Union which should instead help them to stay in their homeland, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Tuesday (7 September).