Russia says it wants to help US in Afghanistan
The Associated Press, Moscow | Wed, 02/04/2009 10:42 PM
President Dmitry Medvedev says that Russia and its ex-Soviet allies want to cooperate with the United States in stabilizing Afghanistan.
Medvedev's comments Wednesday came a day after the ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan announced it would evict U.S. forces from an air base that is key to U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan.
Kyrgyzstan made the move after getting a promise for $2 billion in loans from Russia - which has long been concerned about the U.S. presence in Central Asia.
The possibility of base closure poses a serious challenge to the new U.S. administration and President Barack Obama's plan to send up to 30,000 more American forces into Afghanistan this year.
