RUSSIAN MILITARY AID TO AFGHANISTAN INTENDED TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 005098 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS NATO AF RS SUBJECT: RUSSIAN MILITARY AID TO AFGHANISTAN INTENDED TO COMPLIMENT NATO EFFORTS REF: MOSCOW 4929 Classified By: Political M/C Alice Wells for reasons 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary: On October 22, Head of the MFA Afghanistan Desk Yuriy Khokhlov said that the GOR's proposed Afghan military assistance program is intended to compliment and not compete with NATO support for the Afghan government and its anti-Taliban efforts. The Russian and Afghan governments have not discussed the details of the program and the GOR intends to invite the Afghan Defense Minister to Moscow to determine which weapons will be supplied. The GOR plans to provide the assistance through a bilateral agreement with Afghanistan and would provide material previously requested by NATO for Afghanistan through commercial arms sales. Khokhlov stressed Russian support for the NATO mission in Afghanistan and said that the GOR has denied requests for support from various Afghan factions, including the Taliban. The GOR remains concerned that narcotics trafficking is a major source of financing for the Taliban and will send two counter-narcotics officers to its Embassy in Kabul by November. End summary. Afghan Military Assistance Program Still Short on Details -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On October 22, Head of the MFA Afghanistan Desk Yuriy Khokhlov provided further information on the GOR's proposed Afghan military assistance program (reftel). Khokhlov told us Putin has approved the plan and the GOR and Afghan governments will discuss the program in Kabul October 24-25 during the bi-annual meeting of the Russia-Afghan Intergovernmental Security Council. The GOR also intends to invite the Afghan Defense Minister to Moscow for additional talks aimed at developing a list of weapons and material needed by the Afghan military. Khokhlov stressed that the GOR has no intention of providing the Afghans weapons that do not meet their military needs. Russia will consider, for example, providing T-55 and T-62 tanks that are suitable for use in Afghanistan, but not the heavier tanks requested by the Afghan military. The weapons and equipment provided to the Afghans will be high quality surplus material currently held in Russian military warehouses. ¶3. (C) Khokhlov emphasized that the GOR does not intend for the proposed assistance program to compete with or duplicate NATO's current assistance to the Afghan military, and the GOR could consult with NATO on the aid program. (Note: Khokhlov said that he would have more on possible NATO-Russia consultations after his return from Kabul. End note.) He said the GOR had received from NATO several lists of weapons and equipment needed by Afghanistan but insufficient information as to how this material would be paid for or delivered. The GOR is willing to provide the requested material by means of commercial sales through Rosoborohnexport with favorable payment terms for NATO. Putin: "No Contradictions" Between Russia and U.S. -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) Khokhlov explained that the Afghan government had made several requests for Russian weapons that the GOR found unrealistic. The most disconcerting request came during the August 15 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, when Karzai told Putin that Afghanistan was interested in purchasing 180 aircraft, including helicopters and transport planes, to reconstitute the Afghan air force. An incredulous Putin expressed his skepticism that Afghanistan needed or could afford an air force of this magnitude. According to Khokhlov, when Karzai intimated that the U.S. had agreed to such a purchase and complained about "contradictions" between Russian and U.S. approaches toward Afghanistan, Putin responded forcefully that there are "no contradictions" between Russia and the U.S.; both support the Afghan government and want the Taliban defeated. ¶5. (C) Khokhlov underscored GOR support for the U.S. and NATO commitment to Afghanistan, telling us that Russia has denied requests for support from various Afghan factions that oppose the Karzai government. He explained that Afghans have approached the GOR through contacts stemming from the Soviet era or have gone through third countries to appeal for Russian assistance. Khokhlov said that even the Taliban had "reached out" to the Russian intelligence services and unconvincingly asked the GOR to support their fight against "Russia's enemy," the U.S. Russia-Afghanistan Council to Discuss Narcotics -------------- -- MOSCOW 00005098 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) Khokhlov told us that the agenda for the October 24-25 Russia-Afghan Intergovernmental Security Council will include the proposed GOR military assistance program, Afghanistan's domestic political and economic situation, future presidential and parliamentary elections, and narcotics. Khokhlov reiterated that the GOR's main concern with Afghan narcotics is that it is being used to finance the Taliban (reftel). He said that the GOR intends to have two counter-narcotics officers permanently stationed at its Kabul Embassy in November. (Note: The GOR has long promised to dispatch a counter-narcotics officer; two would be a positive step forward, if implemented. End note.) The GOR currently does not have a position on the U.S. proposal to begin aerial spraying of Afghan poppy fields. Burns