Russia is considering removing the Taliban from its list of designated terrorist organisations, officials in Moscow said on Tuesday as Vladimir Putin eyes support from the hardline Islamist group in central Asia.

The Russian president’s close aide and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia was working on removing Afghanistan’s Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organisations.

Responding to a reporter’s question, Mr Peskov defended Russia’s engagement with the Taliban “because it is the de facto authority in Afghanistan”.

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