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Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow Talks

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Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow Talks

Following US decision not to participate in Afghan peace talks slated to be held in the first week of September in Moscow, Afghanistan government has also announced for not participating in the multilateral talks where 12 countries were invited. However, Taliban have agreed to participate in the talks.

According to Kabul based Tolo News network, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Wednesday said the Afghan government will not participate in the upcoming peace meeting. The ministry said government firmly believes in intra-Afghan dialogues. Kabul government has not received a formal invitation to attend the talks so far.

Sibghat Ahmadi, the deputy spokesman of Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Any regional consensus about Pakistan needs to be structured in axis of the Afghan government. The peace process definitely needs to be carried out under the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. We will not participate in the Moscow talks.”

Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow TalksHowever, a former Taliban political figure Sayed Akbar Agha said Taliban will attend the meeting and will start discussions on the prospects of peace in Afghanistan with countries in the region.

Agha further said, “Taliban has agreed on the Moscow talks and they will attend it. These talks are related to Asia. Foreign forces have come to Asian countries and there are concerns among these countries about it. All these countries want foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan.”

Read More:Afghanistan: 52 Killed In Taliban Terror Attacks on Security Forces

There are reports that Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, head of Taliban’s political office, will lead the Taliban’s delegation in the talks.

Meanwhile AP reports from Washington that US has rejected an invitation to join Russia led talks on Afghanistan because they are “unlikely to help bring peace”. However, State Department spokesman said Wednesday that Trump administration was prepared to appoint a diplomatic veteran as a new special envoy for Afghanistan.

The State Department official, who was not authorised to be quoted, said that as a matter of principle, the US supports Afghan-led efforts to advance a peace settlement. Based on the previous Russia-led meetings on Afghanistan, the Moscow talks are “unlikely to yield any progress toward that end”.

Read More: Spy chiefs of Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan to counter terror in Afghanistan

But, the report said that a perception exists that taking the Afghan peace talks to different venues in the west and east will complicate the reconciliation process in the country.

Meantime, Mohammadullah Haidari, Afghanistan’s former ambassador to Syria said, “Today the Taliban are ready to talk with the US and also they are ready to talk with Russia, but those who claim to be Afghans and want to bring peace in Afghanistan or talk about the peace process should talk to Afghans. However, they are not ready to talk with the legitimate government of Afghanistan.”

Moreover, there are reports that Alice Wells, the US’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs has met top Taliban officials in Doha.

Read More: Afghanistan: Taliban announce three-day Eid ceasefire

Meanwhile, Reuters, quoted an Afghan official working with foreign ministry saying that Afghan government had “decided against attending the Moscow conference” and that they will “hold direct talks” with the Taliban, without involving foreign powers.

Afghan reaction came a day after Russian foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted, by Interfax news agency, saying that Taliban plans to take part in the 4 September talks in Russia’s capital Moscow. Taliban sources have also confirmed to Aljazeera about its participation in the Moscow talks.

Russia has invited 12 countries, including US, to the multilateral peace talks, but Washington has declined the invitation. Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday it regretted the US decision.

Read More: India joins UN in condemning terror attacks in Afghanistan

US also did not participate in the international talks on Afghanistan held in April last year in Moscow.

On Monday, Zamir Kabulov, a Russian foreign ministry official, was cited by Interfax as saying that Moscow has invited the Taliban, which is banned in Russia and considered a terrorist organisation. Kabulov is Russian President’s special envoy to Afghanistan who also served as ambassador in Afghanistan, Iraq and UN.

According to RIA news agency, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Moscow Abdul Kayum Kuchai, had welcomed the Taliban’s involvement in the talks.

There are reports that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intends to appoint Zalmay Khalilzad, former US ambassador to Afghanistan, as special envoy, to deal with the Afghan-Taliban peace process.

Aljazeera reports that a Western diplomat based in Kabul has said that Russia was seeking to increase its influence and improve its image in Afghanistan by inviting Taliban leaders for talks.

Afghanistan Toes US Decision, Not To Participate Moscow TalksIn February this year, the Afghan Taliban had called for direct talks with the US to take place in its political office in Doha, the capital of Qatar. A Senior Taliban official based in Doha told Aljazeera that the group invites US officials to its political office in Qatar to discuss a “peaceful solution” to end the bloodshed in Afghanistan.

According to Wikipedia, senior Taliban leaders are currently stationed in Doha. The original purpose of the Taliban leaders’ presence in Qatar was to open an office that would facilitate reconciliation between members of the Taliban, Afghanistan, the US and other countries. However, shortly after the opening of the Taliban office in 2013, the office was closed by the Qatari government.

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India envoy Dinesh Trivedi meets PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman 

India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met PM Modi after talks with Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman amid diplomatic tensions.

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India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after his meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in Dhaka.

According to the High Commission of India in Bangladesh, Trivedi sought PM Modi’s guidance on further strengthening the bilateral relationship between India and Bangladesh through a constructive and people-centric approach.

The meeting came a day after Trivedi held discussions with Tarique Rahman on matters of mutual interest and ways to advance ties between the two neighbouring countries.

Dinesh Trivedi Meets Bangladesh PM

During his meeting with Tarique Rahman on Monday, Trivedi conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to working with the Bangladeshi administration and its people in a positive, constructive and forward-looking manner.

The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening India-Bangladesh relations with a people-centric approach.

The engagement took place at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat. Trivedi also shared his experience of serving in Dhaka over the previous two months.

Sheikh Hasina Extradition Request

The meeting assumed significance as Bangladesh has expressed hope that India will expedite the extradition process involving former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted following a student-led uprising in 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s Office, Dhaka also reiterated its request for India to return individuals it alleges were involved in the killing of Shahid Osman Hadi, a prominent figure associated with the July uprising who was shot on December 12, 2025.

Tarique Rahman stressed the need to create a suitable environment to take forward relations between Bangladesh and India.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir and other officials attended the meeting.

India-Bangladesh Ties Amid Diplomatic Friction

The latest high-level engagements come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries following a virtual press interaction by Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi on August 5.

The event, organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to mark the second anniversary of her ouster, prompted strong objections from Dhaka.

During the interaction, Hasina said she remained determined to return to Bangladesh in December and restore democracy, while acknowledging the possibility of imprisonment or a death sentence upon her return.

Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently registered a strong protest and said the development had affected public sentiment and complicated efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

India has said the government had no involvement in the event. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said it was organised by a private media entity and clarified that New Delhi did not endorse views expressed at the forum.

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Trump, PM Modi will resolve tariff issue over Russian oil trade, says US official

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue over US tariff threats linked to India’s Russian oil trade.

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US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will resolve the issue surrounding the threat of US tariffs linked to India’s purchase of Russian oil, White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro said on Tuesday.

Navarro’s remarks came days after the US Senate passed a bill authorising the US President to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on the top five purchasers of Russian oil. The measure argues that such purchases directly contribute to financing Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Navarro comments on India’s Russian oil trade

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Navarro said India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia before the Ukraine war began in 2022.

He alleged that India became heavily involved in the trade after Russia’s invasion and sold refined products on behalf of Russia, which he said helped support the Russian war effort.

“Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, India was not involved in the oil trade with Russia, but afterwards it got heavily involved,” Navarro said.

The White House adviser also claimed that the issue had since been resolved and attributed some of the shift in India’s Russian oil trade to an opinion article he recently wrote in the Financial Times.

Trump and Modi will resolve issue, Navarro says

Navarro said the relationship between Trump and Modi would help address the tariff-related issue.

“The president and your prime minister have a very good working relationship. They are going to work that out amongst themselves,” he said, adding that it was not his place to intervene.

His comments come amid US concerns over countries purchasing Russian oil and proposed measures aimed at imposing additional tariffs on major buyers.

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US Senate passes Russia sanctions bill, India-China face 100% tariff risk

The US Senate has passed a Russia sanctions bill that could allow 100% tariffs on major buyers of Russian oil and gas, including India and China.

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Donald Trump

The US Senate has approved a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that could allow President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100% on major buyers of Russian oil or natural gas, including India and China.

The legislation was passed by an 86-11 vote and will now move to the US House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

The bill is named in honour of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong supporter of Ukraine who died on July 11. Graham had pushed for tougher sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine.

India and China among major Russian energy buyers

The legislation gives the US president the power to impose tariffs on the world’s top five purchasers of Russian oil or natural gas.

India and China are among those countries, along with Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

The bill also contains an exception for countries importing less than 15% of their natural gas from Russia and taking steps to reduce their dependence on Russian supplies.

What does the Russia sanctions bill contain?

Apart from the proposed tariffs, the legislation includes sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin, senior Russian political and military officials, financial institutions and energy projects.

The bill would also expand US sanctions to older and reflagged oil tankers allegedly used by Moscow to bypass existing restrictions on Russian oil and energy revenues.

At the same time, the White House would have the option to waive sanctions or restrictions if the president certifies to Congress that doing so is in the national interest.

Bill also extends Iran sanctions law

The legislation also contains a provision related to Iran. It would extend the expiration date of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 until 2031.

The law penalises companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector.

The bill’s passage in the Senate marks the next step in the US legislative process, but it still needs approval from the House of Representatives before it can move forward.

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