Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday accused Defense Secretary Jim Mattis of being “unprofessional,” after the Pentagon chief suggested Russia is funneling weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
“These are unprofessional declarations based on nothing,” Lavrov told Russian state-run media. “No matter what negativity might be hurled at Russia now, not a single piece of evidence to these assertions has been offered.”
Army General John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in the theater, pointedly declined to reject reports that Russian weapons are proliferating in the Helmand province and other regions of Afghanistan that have seen the heaviest fighting throughout the war. And Mattis, speaking alongside Nicholson, criticized Russian support for the Taliban during his latest trip to the country, emphasizing that funneling weapons to militants is a violation of international law.
“The Russians seem to be choosing to be strategic competitors in a number of areas,” Mattis said. “We’re going to have to confront Russia where what they’re doing is contrary to international law or denying the sovereignty of other countries. For example, any weapons being funneled here from a foreign country would be … a violation of international law, unless they’re coming through the government of Afghanistan for the… Afghan forces. And so that would have to be dealt with as a violation of international law.”
Lavrov countered by implying that U.S. leaders are being dishonest about where terrorists are getting their weapons. “I am confident that those in the United States who are paid for supplying their national leaders with reliable intelligence know only too well that these allegations are untrue,” he said. “These people, I am confident of that too, know who arms and supports the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria, and, of course, in Afghanistan where the Islamic State has already taken root. I think they know it too.”
Russian officials have adopted a more positive tone about the Taliban than U.S. leadership. Lavrov endorsed the Taliban’s participation in “a national dialogue” about the future of Afghanistan, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has been making a distinction between the Taliban and other “radical Islamists” engaged in terrorism.
“[A]s far as the Taliban are concerned, many countries have contacts of one form or another with this organization,” Putin said during a recent interview. “Of course, they have many radicals in their ranks, but together with our partners, including UN representatives, we always take the view that we must develop relations with all forces in Afghanistan based on three main principles: recognition of Afghanistan’s constitution, disarmament, and reaching full national accord.”
