Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), which aims at accelerating the Afghan reconciliation process, has already launched three rounds of talks by the beginning of 2016. The QCG has established a road map for peace between Afghanistan and the Taliban. Nonetheless, hoping to win an advantageous position in future negotiations, the Afghan government and Taliban militants have escalated their armed conflicts.

According to a report submitted to the Congress by US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John Sopko on January 30, the Afghan government has already lost control over 30 percent of the country, over which anti-government forces move freely.

Under pressure due to the deteriorating Afghan security situation, US Secretary of State John Kerry proposed to offer $2.5 billion in aid to Afghanistan this year, in order to address the nation's security pressure, promote Afghan economic development, and thus safeguard Washington's achievements in Kabul in the last decade.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also claimed that NATO countries will continue to financially support Afghanistan by providing security forces training, advice, and equipment, until the nation can take over the full responsibility for its domestic security issues itself.

Stoltenberg believes that the militants may intensify their raids in 2016. The Taliban and other unidentified militants have destroyed electric transmission lines in Baghlan Province many times, resulting in an electricity shortage in Kabul. US Army General John Campbell also pointed out that Kabul's security situation this year will be worse than before.

Facing a tough security situation, the international community should strengthen cooperation over the issue. The efforts from the US and NATO are not enough. Active participation and cooperation among major powers are key to the Afghan question.

Neighboring Russia has been playing a significant role in promoting Afghan reconciliation process for a long time. For instance, Moscow has offered supplies to the international security forces in Afghanistan via the Northern Distribution Network, providing financial support, military aid and intelligence information to Kabul. The Kremlin has also granted $11 billion in debt relief to the nation. Moscow plans to aid the Afghan government with 10,000 AK47 assault rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition in 2016.

 However, as the Ukrainian crisis continues, the Russia-US relationship is unlikely to see an improvement in a short term. As a result, Moscow may have to give up cooperating with Washington over Afghanistan. In late February, Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that the Kremlin will gradually stop cooperating with the White House over the Afghanistan issue.

The Russia-US relationship has been deteriorating since the Ukrainian crisis. To begin with, the Kremlin regards Washington as a security threat, listing it as such for the first time in the newly published Russia's National Security Strategy to 2020.

In addition, the US has intensified its military deployment in some NATO countries, and plans to raise its budget to $3.4 billion in 2017 for European defense. Recently, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said relations with the West were slipping back to a "new Cold War."

Furthermore, Moscow and Washington have divergent and conflicting national interest and values over some international issues. By stopping cooperating with the US, Russia may be forcing the White House to take Moscow's interests into consideration. As the US general election is approaching, the Kremlin may also be hoping to make the Afghan issue a burden on the Obama administration, raising the possibility of a bargain.

Easing some of its own burdens may be another consideration for the Kremlin. Given the economic downturn, Russia cannot provide more help to Afghanistan. Russia's unpaid wages had reached $56.32 million by February 1, up 21 percent from the prior month, as the economy continues to shrink following sanctions and plummeting oil prices.

But Afghanistan is still high on the Russian foreign policy agenda. The Kremlin needs to improve cooperation with the rest of the world to crack down upon terrorism, drug trafficking, cross-border crimes and so forth.

The Afghan reconciliation process requires international cooperation, which needs not just active participation from major powers, but also a unified stance by the international community. Thus, a halt to Russia-US cooperation would have negative effects on the Afghan reconciliation process and may increase uncertainties in the nation's security situation in the future.

As the Afghan question concerns the solidarity of Central Asia and South Asia, Russia and the US, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, need to work jointly and play a more active role in the reconciliation process.

The author is an associate research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn