This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/11/world/europe/putin-criticizes-us-role-in-afghanistan.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Putin Criticizes U.S. Role in Afghanistan, Saying Security Hasn’t Improved Putin Calls for End to Use of Sanctions and Criticizes U.S. in Afghanistan
(about 5 hours later)
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday sharply criticized the American-led war effort in Afghanistan, telling a gathering of regional leaders that a decade of Western military intervention had failed to improve security in the country. MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called on Friday for an end to the use of punitive financial and economic sanctions around the world, saying they should be “excluded from the international economic vocabulary.”
“The deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, where a 10-year presence of the international military contingent has not brought any qualitative improvement of the situation, raises serious concern,” Mr. Putin said in a speech to heads of state, including President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan. Mr. Putin, whose country has been battered by sanctions over its policies in Ukraine, called for the swift lifting of all such measures against Iran once a deal is reached to regulate Iran’s nuclear program.
“The situation is aggravated by the growing activity of the so-called Islamic State, a terrorist organization striving to extend its influence,” Mr. Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript, at a gathering in Ufa, Russia, for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He spoke to reporters at a gathering of heads of state in Ufa, Russia, for meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the so-called BRICS group — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — of rising economic powers.
Russia had shown support for the American-led military effort in Afghanistan, including by allowing supply shipments along a route of more than 3,200 miles through Russia and the former Soviet Union, called the Northern Distribution Network. By mentioning Iran in his remarks, Mr. Putin sought to place his criticism of sanctions in a broader global context. But it was impossible not to hear his remarks as a pointed complaint about Russia’s own economic travails.
In May, however, Russia formally rescinded its permission for NATO to use the route, and Mr. Putin’s remarks on Friday signaled a new, tougher assessment of the legacy that United States forces are leaving behind. The United States, the European Union and other nations, including Canada and Japan, have imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and its involvement in the continuing conflict in eastern Ukraine. Many important Russian businesses have been cut off from Western capital markets, and some of Mr. Putin’s closest associates have had their international business dealings severely restricted.
While the American-led combat operation in Afghanistan formally ended on Dec. 31, about 10,000 United States troops remain in the country, and plans for a further withdrawal have been delayed because of the worsening security situation. The instrument of sanctions, Mr. Putin said, “should not be used in world economics because it turns it upside down.”
With Russia under serious international pressure, including economic sanctions, over its intervention in Ukraine, Mr. Putin has sought to use improved ties with Asia to demonstrate that his country retains a prominent place on the world stage. He added: “We all should live in normal, natural conditions. Only in this case will we be able to ensure stable, balanced and safe development.”
Relations between Russia and the United States are at perhaps their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, and the Kremlin regularly issues criticism of American foreign policy, especially over the role of the United States in the Middle East, including in Iraq, Libya and Syria. Mr. Putin’s position on the sanctions against Iran differs sharply from that of the Obama administration, which has called for a more gradual lifting of the sanctions, tied to Iran’s compliance with the emerging agreement on its nuclear program. Negotiators in Vienna were still at work on the nuclear deal on Friday, and Mr. Putin said at his news conference that he hoped it would be completed soon.
Afghanistan has observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose full members are Russia, China and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan are expected to become full members within the next year or so. In addition to his remarks on sanctions, Mr. Putin sharply criticized the American-led war effort in Afghanistan, telling Asian leaders that a decade of Western military intervention had failed to improve security there.
In remarks at the meeting, Mr. Ghani said his government was committed to engaging in peace talks with the Taliban, though efforts to improve that dialogue have had mixed success in recent weeks. “The deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, where a 10-year presence of the international military contingent has not brought any qualitative improvement of the situation, raises serious concern,” Mr. Putin said in his speech to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual meeting. President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan was among those in attendance.
“The situation is aggravated by the growing activity of the so-called Islamic State, a terrorist organization striving to extend its influence,” Mr. Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript.
Russia had shown some support for the American-led military effort in Afghanistan. For years, it allowed supply shipments along a route of more than 3,200 miles through Russia and former Soviet states in Central Asia, known as the Northern Distribution Network. But the Kremlin withdrew permission in May for NATO to use that route, and Mr. Putin’s remarks on Friday were a new, tougher assessment of the alliance’s legacy in Afghanistan.
Though the coalition’s combat operations in the country ended formally on Dec. 31, about 10,000 American troops remain, and the worsening security situation there has delayed plans for further withdrawals.
Afghanistan has observer status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose full members are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan are expected to become full members within the next year or so.
In remarks at the meeting, Mr. Ghani said his government was committed to peace talks with the Taliban, though efforts to improve that dialogue have had mixed success in recent weeks.