Russia has taken the United States to task over the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban’s takeover of the country stems from America’s failure two decades after the invasion.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that the Taliban’s seizure of Afghanistan should not be considered a transition.

“The authors of such stories are trying in some way to justify the failure of the Americans in Afghanistan and to claim this was all a planned action,” Zamir Kabulov, special presidential representative for Afghanistan, said on Monday.

He said the fall of Kabul was unexpected, and that Russia and other countries overestimated the Afghan armed forces.

“It came as a surprise to a certain extent, as we were guided by the understanding that the Afghan Army, whatever it may be, will still resist for some time,” Kabulov told the Echo of Moscow radio station.

Kabulov also confirmed that Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dmitry Zhirnov will discuss the safety of the Russian diplomatic mission with a Taliban coordinator in Kabul on Tuesday.

Source: Presstv