MOSCOW. April 1 (Interfax) - The United States has been slow to remove its troops from Afghanistan because of its fears for the fate of the current Afghan government, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.
"We think the true motives behind the protraction in withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan are fears for the fate of the current authorities which the Americans themselves admit are still unable to address security problems despite the 20 years of active military-technical assistance from NATO," Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday, when asked to comment on the U.S. statement that it would be impossible to withdraw the troops by May 1.