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Russia’s ambassador to US slams media reports of Russia and Taliban as ‘downright lie’

"We are not interested in victory of terrorism in Afghanistan," he said

WASHINGTON, July 9. /TASS/. US media reports alleging that Russia offered bounty to militants in Afghanistan for killing US soldiers were "downright lie," Russia’s Ambassador to US Anatoly Antonov said on Wednesday during a video conference, organized by the Washington-based Center for the National Interest.

"I would like to totally reject all accusations against Russia. We are not interested in victory of terrorism in Afghanistan," he said, dismissing the New York Times article on the issue as "downright lie."

"We are in close contact with our American colleagues, and we, of course, discussed all issues regarding this provocation news published by some mass media in the United States," the Russian diplomat added.

Antonov wished success to US negotiators in Afghanistan.

On June 26, The New York Times published an article, alleging that an unidentified division of the Russian military intelligence coerced Taliban militants to attack the servicemen of the international coalition in Afghanistan. The newspaper claimed that such conclusions of the US intelligence services were presented to US President Donald Trump several months ago, while the White House National Security Council discussed this issue in late March.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called these allegations a lie and a "total hoax." On June 27, Russian Foreign Ministry labeled the initial publication on this issue as intentionally false.

According to the Ministry, "this uncomplicated fake news clearly illustrates low intellectual capabilities of the US intelligence propagandists, who have to come up with such nonsense instead of inventing something more credible."

On June 28, Trump tweeted that the US intelligence labelled the reports of the alleged Russian attempts to offer bounty to the Afghan militants for assassination of US servicemen as false. Trump speculated that The New York Times, who published the initial report, could have published "another fabricated Russia Hoax," in a bid to "make Republicans look bad."

The Russian Supreme Court designated the Taliban movement as a terrorist group in 2003. The organization is outlawed on the territory of Russia.

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