Russia Joins US in Push for Interim Government in Afghanistan

Beginning Thursday, the Moscow Summit is looking to see Russia and the United States trying to sell the interim government peace proposal to both the Afghan government and the Taliban. This summit is the biggest event in awhile in trying to get the peace process revived.

It’s not Russia’s first bid at having influence on post-war Afghanistan. It is, however, the first time the US has acknowledged such a summit as a real thing, and participated in it. Both the US and Russia seem to be united in their proposal.

Ending the war with an interim government is the most sensible way to go about it, of course. The Ghani government is resisting the idea, though some of the head negotiators see the US proposal as having merit. The Taliban are open but skeptical, worrying the interim government is too weak to ensure that the US and its allies leave, as promised under the peace deal.

This concern is only growing with the US backing away from the May 1 pullout date. The US officials argue they need longer to sell the peace plan, but the longer it takes, the harder that sell will be.

The Moscow talks won’t just be Russia and the US, but also will include Pakistan and China. All have vested interests in seeing post-war Afghanistan be at least somewhat stable, and may ultimately serve as guarantors of the deal, assuming one is reached.