MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. /TASS/. The US authorities are using the seizure of Afghanistan's funds as a tool to blackmail the republic, Russian Special Presidential Envoy for Afghanistan and Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Asian Department Zamir Kabulov said on Friday on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.

When asked what progress has been made in restoring the economy of Afghanistan, which, in particular, depends on the release of state funds from the financial blockade organized by the United States, the diplomat said:

"There is practically no progress here, since the Americans use this tool as a blackmail device, making vague promises to Kabul that it will unblock them if it follows Washington's lead."

According to the diplomat, "the Anglo-Saxons and all their Western accomplices openly use even the humanitarian aid that is allocated to Afghanistan as a weapon of pressure to force the current leaders of Kabul to go along with the American strategy of destruction in the greater Asian region."