Putin at summit with Biden objected to US plan of bases near Afghanistan: report

Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Biden at their summit in June he objected to the U.S.’s plan to set up bases near Afghanistan, senior Russian and U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.

Putin said he did not want any U.S. forces in Central Asian countries, showing Putin wants to keep control of the region rather than work with Biden regarding Afghanistan, current and former U.S. officials told the outlet.

The Biden administration was reportedly looking to set up drones and counterterrorism forces in countries surrounding Afghanistan, but Putin’s objections complicated the issue.

“The Russians have no interest in having the U.S. back in there,” former State Department expert on Eurasia Paul Goble told the Journal.

Implementing the plans to set up forces in countries surrounding Afghanistan has also taken a hit from the Taliban’s quick takeover of the country the past week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently spoke to Russia about the situation in Afghanistan, with the country indicating it will have an easy transition to work with the Taliban.

“Our embassy will stay in contact with specially assigned representatives of the Taliban higher leadership to work out a permanent mechanism of ensuring safety of our embassy,” Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s representative in Kabul, said on Monday.

The Hill has reached out to the White House and State Department for comment.