Central Asia Bases Were Offered by Russia for Afghanistan Intel : Report

As American soldiers leave Afghanistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered US Vice President Joe Biden the use of Russian military sites in Central Asia in June, according to the Kommersant daily on Saturday.

As US forces withdraw after 20 years of war, Taliban fighters have made significant gains, creating a security issue for Moscow, which fears refugees may be pushed into its Central Asian backyard.

Putin offered to Biden on June 16 in Geneva, in an unusual offer at a period of tense ties between Washington and Moscow, that they coordinate on Afghanistan and put Russia’s outposts in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to “practical use,” according to Kommersant, citing sources.

The publication speculated that this may entail the exchange of data acquired by drones, but that no specific response from the US side had been received. A request for comment from the Kremlin was not immediately returned.

Reuters reported earlier this month that the Biden administration was in discussions with Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan about temporarily relocating thousands of Afghans who had collaborated with US soldiers.

The departure of the United States and NATO alliance from Afghanistan, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, has made the political and military situation in Afghanistan more unclear, which has increased the terrorist danger in the region.

Lavrov said Russia wants to assist restart peace negotiations between the warring factions in Afghanistan at a summit with prominent Central Asian leaders in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital.