US meets China, Russia and Pakistan to talk Afghan peace

Representatives of Russia, China, the United States and Pakistan have agreed that negotiation is the only road to peace in Afghanistan, including an early resumption of direct US talks with the Taliban.

In a statement released at the end of meetings in Moscow on Friday, China, Russia and Pakistan called on Washington to return to the negotiation table with the Taliban and sign an agreement that will set the stage for Afghans on both sides of the protracted conflict to start face-to-face discussions on what a post-war Afghanistan would look like.

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had all but signed a peace deal with the Taliban until President Donald Trump in September declared the talks dead after a series of attacks killed several people, including a US soldier.