Putin says no rush in officially recognising Taliban's rule

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday there must be no rush in officially recognising the Taliban as the new rulers of Afghanistan, but emphasised the need to engage in talks with them.

Speaking during a video call with leaders of other ex-Soviet nations, Putin said that "the interim government formed by the Taliban regrettably doesn't reflect the entire spectrum of Afghan society, but also noted their pledge to hold elections, and their efforts to restore the functioning of state structures.

We shouldn't hurry with the official recognition of the Taliban, he said.

We understand that we need to interact with them, but there shouldn't be any hurry and we shall discuss that together.

At the same time, Putin mentioned Moscow's intention to host another round of talks between Afghan parties next week and underlined the need to restart consultations on Afghanistan between Russia, the United States, China and Pakistan.

"We need to support the process of inter-Afghan settlement and try to help normalize the situation in the country, he said. Russia is set to host the Taliban and other Afghan factions for talks Wednesday in a move that reflects Moscow's efforts to expand its clout.

Zamir Kabulov, the Kremlin envoy on Afghanistan, said Friday that the Taliban confirmed they will attend the so-called Moscow format talks in the Russian capital.

Diplomats from Russia, the US, China and Pakistan are also set to meet in Moscow for talks on Afghanistan this month.

The Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with its troops withdrawing in 1989.