MOSCOW, JAN 10 (DNA) – Moscow has welcomed the recent brief delivered by the US national security adviser Herbert McMaster during a briefing to the UN Security Council regarding the situation of Afghanistan.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said on Tuesday that McMaster had a meeting with the Security Council members on January 10. “He briefed us on Afghanistan , which was very useful,” the Russian diplomat.

He also added “He mentioned that it is necessary for Russia and US to cooperate on Afghanistan , which is an issue we can establish cooperation in.”

“I fully agreed, saying that President Putin thanked Americans for presence in Afghanistan and their efforts during his annual press conference in December, and stressed the need to cooperate regarding the issue,” Nebenzya said following the meeting with McMaster.

This comes as the Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier emphasized on the importance role of the US military presence in Afghanistan as he expressed concerns regarding the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan , saying the situation in Afghanistan would have been probably worse in the absence of the US forces.

“Indeed, it [the situation with terrorist threat in Afghanistan] has worsened, it is true, it keeps deteriorating,” Putin told a meeting with the parliamentary leadership late in December.

“But if the US were not there, it would probably be worse,” Putin told.

“Russia and the US “have complex relationship, but we must approach the subject objectively,” Putin said.=DNA

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