Taliban says it has the ‘same stance’ on negotiations after Trump talks cease-fire

The Taliban has said that it is ready for peace talks with the U.S. but also said that its position is the same as it was when talks were canceled in September, after President Trump said the militant group wants a cease-fire. 

Before the talks collapsed, the U.S. and Taliban were poised to sign a draft agreement saying that a possible cease-fire would be determined by later negotiations with Afghanistan’s government, according to The Washington Post. 

The Taliban told the Post in a statement that this has not changed. 

“We are ready to talk, but we have the same stance to resume the talks from where it was suspended,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said. 

A spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani told the newspaper that Trump’s trip to Afghanistan this week was “important” but that “we will have to see” whether it changed anything.

“It is too early to comment on any changes or any perceived changes,” said spokesman Sediq Seddiqi. 

A senior administration official told The Post that they are “restarting talks” with the Taliban.