MOSCOW – The Russian President Vladimir Putin has said a balance of poweris needed in Afghanistan as the positions of Taliban are getting stronger.

Putin reportedly made the remarks during a meeting with the U.S. Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo in Russia.

“On the issue of Afghanistan, the [Russian] president and the [US]secretary of state also noted rather good cooperation between specialistsof our countries. Moreover, our president noted that settlement inAfghanistan is a rather complicated issue as the process itself isdifficult. At the same time, the positions of the Taliban

[movement banned in Russia]

are getting stronger. So we need to step up cooperation and try to achievethe balance of power in this country,” presidential aide Yury Ushakov wasquoted as saying in a report by Russia’s TASS News Agency.

The latest remarks by Putin came as efforts are underway to find anegotiated political settlement to end the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

A trilateral meeting between Russia, China, and United States was organizedlate last month in Moscow to discuss peace efforts in Afghanistan.