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Developments in Afghanistan

Updated at:

China hopes Taliban to fulfill its pledges on ending war in Afghanistan — Chinese diplomat

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying also noted that the war in Afghanistan had been waged for several decades and the future of this country must be decided by the people of Afghanistan

BEIJING, August 16. /TASS/. The authorities of China hope that the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) would fulfill its promises of putting an end to the war and terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday.

"We have taken a notice of the Taliban movement’s [earlier] statement and hope that the war in Afghanistan will be finally over," the Chinese diplomat said speaking to journalists at a daily news briefing. "We hope that they will fulfill their pledges."

Hua Chunying said the war in Afghanistan had been waged for several decades and that the future of this country must be decided by the people of Afghanistan.

According to China’s Xinhua news agency, the Taliban movement reported on Sunday that the war in Afghanistan ended and they would declare soon the establishment of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. They would also take responsible actions to ensure the safety of the Afghani people and foreign diplomatic missions in the country, the agency added.

"We hope to see the establishment of a tolerant Islamic government with representatives of the Taliban movement guaranteeing the safety of all civilians and foreign diplomats," Hua Chunying said. "It is necessary to put an end to all manifestations of terrorism."

Xinhua news agency quoted later in the day Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying as saying that: "China respects the right of the Afghan people to independently determine their own destiny, and stands ready to develop good-neighborly, friendly and cooperative relations with Afghanistan, and to play a constructive role in the peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan."

The fighters of the Taliban radical militant group (outlawed in Russia) entered Kabul without encountering any resistance on Sunday and started to take control of government buildings abandoned by Afghan troops, the Al Arabiya TV Channel reported. President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani left the country. The Taliban later announced that it had established control of all the districts in the Afghan capital.

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Afghanistan China Power transfer in Afghanistan

Israeli-Palestinian conflict

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Starlink’s failure helps Russian army take Kiev forces by surprise in Kharkov Region — WP

In addition, Ukrainian forces were facing ammunition shortages due to a stalled US aid package

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Russia warns US, EU, Kiev they are playing with fire — MFA about Ukrainian strikes

Maria Zakharova pointed out that behind these barbaric attacks with Western weapons the silhouettes of US and British handlers of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's were clearly visible

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Russia expels UK defense attache from Moscow in tit-for-tat move — Foreign Ministry

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Putin’s visit reveals futility of US’ attempts to exert pressure on China — Indian expert

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Shipments of long-range missiles to Kiev may expand ‘buffer zone’ toward Poland — Medvedev

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Diplomat warns about response to EU ban on broadcasting of Russian media outlets

According to the Russian diplomat, the EU decision is based "solely on political motives."

Australia announces another package of anti-Russia sanctions

"Australia condemns, in the strongest possible terms, North Korea’s illegal export and Russia’s procurement and use of North Korean ballistic missiles," the statement reads

Russian troops destroy 600 combat aircraft in Ukraine operation — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost over 520 troops in battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk area over the past day, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Israeli army says radical commander eliminated in airstrike on Jenin

Islam Khamayseh was involved in organizing a number of terror attacks in the area, the army’s press service reported

Russia, China may pool efforts to create materials for future spacecraft — scientist

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China ready to help Russia resist subversive NGOs, foreign agents — minister

The parties also spoke about the efforts of Western countries to destabilize international law enforcement cooperation

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Russia, Venezuela express commitment to cooperation ahead of Summit of the Future

The two countries’ diplomats stressed that Russia and Venezuela stand firm for strengthening the UN-centric system of international relations and building real multipolarity

Russia working on logistics with Gulf countries — deputy PM Khusnullin

The work is underway on development of international transport corridors in different directions, Marat Khusnullin added

Legitimate Ukrainian president needed to sign any agreements, says Putin

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Zelensky admits reserves redeployment to Kharkov from other areas

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Russian troops advance towards Borovaya in eastern Kharkov region — official

Vitaly Ganchev added that as of today, more than 200 square kilometers of the region had been liberated from the Ukrainian armed forces

Russia, Iran turn US sanctions into new possibilities — senior Iranian diplomat

"It is impossible to build peace in the region without close economic ties," Ali Bagheri Kani said

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Qatar to focus efforts on partnership with Russia on North-South project — envoy

The North-South project is also important for many countries of the region, Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al-Thani added

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Fico’s bodyguards saved his life — Slovakia’s Interior Minister

"The prime minister’s personal protection group acted absolutely properly amid a rapidly developing emergency situation," Matus Sutaj-Estok underlined

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Dmitry Peskov also highly praised the cooperation between the regions of Russia and the provinces of China and emphasized its contribution to the development of the Russian territories bordering China

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Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin stressed that Russia considers this "a violation of international law"

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Americans undermine trust in dollar, its role as reserve currency themselves — Putin

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Russian, Chinese scientists working on carbon footprint reduction — Putin

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According to Sergey Ryabkov, it is necessary to "treat both the issuance and non-issuance of American visas with coldness and detachment"

Russia to view seizure of its property as robbery — Russian MFA on Estonia’s move

Maria Zakharova added that "the Western puppeteers exploit the Baltic countries as a 'testing ground' to test the waters concerning various kinds of anti-Russian ideas"

Russia, China warn US, NATO against setting up military infrastructure in Afghanistan

The leaders of Russia and China also expressed their intention "to boost Afghanistan-related partner interaction both at the bilateral level and on multilateral platforms"

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According to Roman Shkurlatov, two Patriot systems will not make Kharkov safe

Putin explains Russian army’s operation near Kharkov by need to create buffer zone

Civilians are being killed there as a result of Kiev’s bombardments, which is obvious, the Russian leader noted

Russia developing thermal imager for Black Sea Fleet to repel night naval drone attacks

The devices help detect targets at a distance of over 1 km

Russia ready for talks with Ukraine, but needs to know who is trustworthy there — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that it was politicians in Kiev who "withdrew from the negotiation process" as soon as troops were pulled back from Kiev

London blacklists two Russian companies, one firm from North Korea

The restrictions were imposed on Vostochnaya Stevedoring Co LLC and Toplivo Bunkering Company, as well as North Korean Paekyangsan Shipping Company

FIFA approves 'five-pillar' deal against racism in football, says FIFA chief Infantino

"We need to stand up and fight racism and defeat racism all together," Gianni Infantino stressed

New opportunities, broad prospects await China, Russia — Xi

According to the Chinese leader, China-Russia relations have entered a new era

Different routes for Power of Siberia 2 under discussion, including through NSR — Putin

"You can 'bribe' the tanker fleet and arrange [supplies] along the Northern Sea Route almost like through the pipeline," the Russian leader

Finnish president says Helsinki doesn’t ask for hosting NATO nuclear weapons on its soil

Alexander Stubb pointed out that after joining the North Atlantic Alliance, Finland wants to play a meaningful role in it

Sino-Russian trade to reach $300 bln by 2030 — deputy minister

Bilateral relations between Russia and China should be expanded with "detailed plans, roadmaps with specific events and projects," Dmitry Volvach noted

Israeli Air Force fighter jet strikes Jenin neighborhood in West Bank — army

The target of the strike was not specified

Over 500 military, special vehicles commissioned to Russia’s Central Military District

According to the press office, the commissioned vehicles made it possible to complete equipment of seven motorized infantry and tank units

Seven servicemen hurt in blast in territory of Military Academy in St. Petersburg

The explosion occurred during clean-up operations at basement premises in the utility zone of the Budenny Military Academy, the press service of the Leningrad Military District reported

US sanctions against Russia 'terrible stupidity' — Putin

"This situation, when one country dictates its will to the rest of the world, including in the political sphere, using financial and economic instruments, is unacceptable," the Russian president stressed

Russian servicemen seize British FV104 Samaritan armored ambulance — top brass

"The vehicle has already been repaired and is being prepared to be added to the collection of foreign trophy weapons," the Russian Defense Ministry said

Hungary vetoes Council of Europe resolution on Ukraine — top diplomat

Peter Szijjarto said he had asked the Council of Europe to include alternative peace plans to the resolution but that his proposal had been declined by a majority vote

Russia takes control of more land than Ukraine in 2023 counteroffensive — newspaper

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said, commenting on Russia’s offensive operations in Ukraine, that the goal was to create "a sanitary zone" to protect border areas from shelling attacks

US sanctions on Russian, Chinese goods to backfire, spiking inflation at home — Putin

The Russian president noted that sanctions are elements of economic war and are nothing new

New relations, successes of China's automobile industry: what Putin, Xi said in Beijing

According to the Russian leader, the partnership between Moscow and Beijing "will serve as a model of how ties between neighboring states should be built"

Russian diplomat slams EU’s call for ensuring freedom of protest in Georgia

Georgia’s parliament passed the third reading of the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence on May 14

Slovakia’s PM in 'very serious' condition, president-elect says

Peter Pellegrini added that "the next few hours and days" will be decisive for Robert Fico, who is staying at a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica

Afghanistan to expand range of goods exported to Russia — deputy PM Overchuk

"We are interested in Afghan exports of agriculture products to our market," Alexey Overchuk said

Putin apologizes to Harbin residents for tight security measures over his visit

"The greatest impression lies in the power of Harbin," the Russian leader noted, adding that "Harbin has turned into a powerful world-scale megacity in recent years"

Born out of love: Putin hears heartwarming tale of panda Katyusha’s birth

Svetlana Akulova noted that the mama panda turned out to have very strong maternal instincts

US, Iran enage in indirect talks on Middle East security — news outlet

According to Axios, the consultations were devoted to discussing the possible "consequences of Iran and its proxies" in the region, as well as "US concerns about Tehran's nuclear program"

Russian deputy minister sees possibility of downgrading diplomatic ties with US

This will happen "if the West chooses the path of escalation," Sergey Ryabkov said

Current Kiev regime rooted in coup — Putin

The Russian leader blamed Kiev’s sponsors in the West for organizing this coup, saying they escalated it into an armed conflict

China expects peace to recover on European continent shortly — Xi Jinping

The Chinese leader added that Beijing "is ready to play its constructive role"

Orban sees link between attack on pro-peace Fico, war preparations in West

According to the Hungarian prime minister, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is planning to visit Hungary in the run-up to elections to the European Parliament scheduled for June 6-9 to try and persuade Budapest to reconsider its stance

Foreign aid to Ukraine a money laundering scheme, head of Chechnya says

Ramzan Kadyrov noted that there is no need to worry about hostilities currently happening on Russian territory

Zelensky admits possibility of Ukraine losing Kharkov

The Ukrainian president asked US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide two Patriot systems to defend Kharkov, but the US diplomat did not give him an unequivocal answer

Assassination attempt on Slovak PM Fico was planned in advance — defense minister

It is reported that doctors are doing everything possible to stabilize the patient

US directly responsible for emergence, escalation of Ukrainian crisis — Beijing

On May 16, US Department of State Deputy Spokesman Vedant Patel noted that China cannot improve relations with Europe, if it will support Russia at the same time, allegedly fueling the Russian military-industrial complex

Yemeni Houthis claim delivering missile strike on US destroyer

Additionally, according to Yahya Saree, in the Red Sea, the Houthis attacked the commercial vessel Destiny en route to the port of Eilat in Israel

State Duma approves Mikhail Mishustin as Chairman of Russian Government

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin thanked State Duma lawmakers for approving his candidacy for the prime minister’s office

Russia, Iran working to create single BRICS currency — Iranian ambassador

Kazem Jalali pointed out that the United States uses the dollar to create restrictions, and therefore the use of national currencies in mutual settlements is on the agenda

Over 10,000 Ukrainian fighters surrender since summer using special radio frequency

According to the source, the radio frequency operates in all directions of the line of engagement in the special military operation zone