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Trump urged to learn from Afghanistan, not pressure Ukraine
Daniel Fried, former US ambassador to Poland, has urged President Donald Trump to take lessons from the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and avoid pushing Ukraine into an unfavorable peace agreement with Russia.
Trump is seeking to broker an end to the war between Kyiv and Moscow. After initially proposing a 28-point plan, discussions have now been narrowed to a 19-point framework, which Ukraine largely supports; however, Russia’s position remains uncertain.
European officials have expressed concern that Trump may pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept any agreement. Experts at a recent Atlantic Council meeting warned that a poorly negotiated deal could represent a “strategic failure for the free world.”
Some analysts have drawn parallels between Trump’s push to end the Ukraine conflict and the hasty US and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan, which led to the rapid collapse of the previous government and the return of the Islamic Emirate to power.
Daniel Fried, the former US ambassador to Poland who helped lead the West’s response to Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine after 2014’s illegal annexation of Crimea, said the conflict in Europe and the Afghanistan war are “not alike” – but lessons can and should be learned.
“A bad framework, such as the happily-overtaken 28 points, could presage a strategic defeat for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the free world generally,” he told The Independent. “We seem to be past that point, perhaps because some within the administration recognised that failure in Ukraine could indeed become Trump’s Big Defeat.
“The lesson to be learned? Don’t sign on to bad deals for the sake of signing something,” he said.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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