Peace talks with Taliban in Moscow postponed – Afghan president’s office

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s office said on Monday that Russia had agreed to postpone multilateral peace talks with the Taliban. The statement came a week after the insurgents accepted an invitation to go to Moscow for a September 4 summit. Russia has not declared a postponement. A senior official in Ghani’s office told Reuters that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had spoken with Ghani by phone and assured him the summit dates “will be changed to ensure Afghanistan’s participation.” Last week, Afghanistan and the US both declined Moscow’s invitation.