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Putin Rules Out Possibility of Sending Russian Troops to Afghanistan
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of sending Russian ground troops to Afghanistan to take part in the ongoing US-led anti-terrorist campaign.
"For us, sending troops to Afghanistan is what returning troops to Vietnam would be for you (the U.S.), and even more difficult because the Afghan war ended not as long ago as the war in Vietnam," Putin said in an interview with the U.S. TV company ABC, excerpts from which have been published on the Kremlin's official web site.
At the same time, he said that the Russian army is already helping the United States, primarily by sharing intelligence "of the best quality."
Based on its knowledge of Afghan realities, Russia is also assisting the Afghan opposition Northern Alliance by having supplied weapons worth tens of millions of U.S. dollars.
Putin also ruled out a leakage of nuclear technologies or materials from Russia. "True, one can speculate that somebody has tried to sell some nuclear secrets, but we have no documentary confirmation of such cases," he said.
Putin refuted reports that terrorist groups might have obtained anthrax or smallpox pores from Russia. He noted that the analysis of the material available in the U.S. "makes it quite obvious that it could not be made in the Soviet Union, let alone in Russia." Besides, "such materials were always heavily guarded in the Soviet Union and are now in Russia," he added.
On Russia's support for the U.S. in the fight against international terrorism, Putin stressed that Russia is not waiting for any preferences or any payment for its support, as it is "our common goal to fight against terrorism and defeat it, and we have a common enemy -- international terrorism."
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