MOSCOW, December 23. / TASS /. Afghanistan needs economic assistance, which, first of all, should be provided by the US and NATO, that have been in this country for 20 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at his annual press conference on Thursday.

"<…> Now, it is necessary to provide assistance to the Afghan people. And this should be done, first of all, by those countries, which have caused such enormous damage to the Afghan economy and society. Those who have been there for 20 years, destroyed the economy, need to provide assistance first," the head of state noted.

"For our part, we will do everything that depends on us," Putin went on to say. "First of all, Afghanistan’s funds need to be unfrozen by foreign banks, primarily US ones, in order to provide humanitarian aid to the Afghan people to the full extent, otherwise [the country] is likely to face famine and other severe consequences which will affect the neighboring states," the Russian president said.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council adopted the resolution authorizing the allocation of money from frozen financial assets to provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. All 15 Security Council members upheld this document. This refers to the funds belonging to the Taliban (banned in Russia) as well as to the movement’s representatives. The resolution remains valid for one year, while in December 2022, the UN Security Council will consider its possible extension.