"This is to say nothing about the stolen Afghan assets, which can now even be used for other purposes in other conflict areas," Evstigneeva told the Security Council members.
In this context, the 'loud statements' of our Western colleagues about the worsening situation in Afghanistan are amoral, she added.
According to the Republican National Committee, Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan 'gifted' the Taliban* equipment worth $7.2bln. This includes 78 aircraft, 9524 air-to-ground munitions, over 40,000 vehicles and more than 300,000 weapons.
Last year, the UN said that it believes Afghan frozen assets belong to the Afghan people. An interim Afghan government led by the Taliban came to power in the fall of 2021 after the withdrawal of US troops from the country and the collapse of the US-backed government. The Taliban takeover has heightened the fears of Central Asian nations concerning the spread of radical fundamental Islamic ideas, as happened in 1996 when the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan for five years.
*The Taliban is subjected to UN sanctions over terrorist activities.