Under the title "To Spy on the Taliban, Putin Offers His Bases to Washington," the Arabic website reported that as the U.S. continues its withdrawal from Afghanistan and seeks practical solutions to maintain its intelligence operations against the Taliban, Washington received an unexpected offer from Russia to use its foreign bases. The Kremlin offered the U.S. the use of its military bases in Central Asia to gather intelligence from Afghanistan. President Vladimir Putin stated that he made the proposal during a summit meeting with President Joe Biden held in Geneva last month, as reported by the "New York Times" on Sunday. Additionally, Putin suggested that the United States utilize military bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan for intelligence gathering, including through drones launched across the border, according to sources speaking to "Kommersant."
"Ambiguous Political and Military Situation"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that the withdrawal of the U.S. and NATO from Afghanistan has made the political and military situation more ambiguous, which in turn has exacerbated the terrorist threat in the region. Lavrov clarified in a conference with senior officials from Central Asia in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, that Russia wants to assist in initiating peace talks between the warring parties in Afghanistan.
Russia Threatens the Taliban
The Director of the Second Asian Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, Zamir Kabulov, confirmed last Wednesday that any attempt by the Taliban to harm the security of Russia's allies in Central Asia would lead to significant losses for the movement. The Russian official explained that his country is closely monitoring the situation, warning the Taliban that any attempt to jeopardize the security of Moscow's allies in Central Asia would be fraught with significant losses for them. It is noteworthy that Russia's largest foreign base is located in Tajikistan, consisting of six thousand soldiers. Russia also maintains a smaller base in Kyrgyzstan, approximately 500 miles from the Afghan border.
