Putin says Biden was right to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan

FILE PHOTO: U.S. troops stand guard during a handover ceremony of A-29 Super Tucano planes from U.S. to the Afghan forces, in Kabul, Afghanistan September 17, 2020. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden had been right to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan, a move that allowed the Taliban to seize power in a lightning offensive in August.

Russia is one of several powers backing the idea of a United Nations donor conference to help Afghanistan stave off economic collapse and a humanitarian catastrophe.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Andrew Osborn)