In Moscow, Afghan Peace Talks Without the Afghan Government

Thirty years after the last Soviet troops retreated from Afghanistan, Russia on Tuesday reasserted itself as a player in the region, hosting talks between the Taliban and senior Afghan politicians aimed at speeding the exit of another superpower — this time the United States.

The talks, held in Moscow’s President Hotel, which is owned by the Kremlin, offered a clearer view of how the Taliban see an end to the 18-year war. In a room dripping with chandeliers, more than 50 delegates — many in flowing robes, some in Western suits and ties, and nearly all old and sometimes violent rivals — faced each other across a large, circular conference table.

While the Afghan politicians, part of a delegation led by former President Hamid Karzai, spoke of protecting the hard gains of the past two decades, the Taliban denounced a new Afghan Constitution that lays out a system of governance built at enormous cost.

The Taliban representatives also offered a rare look at how they now see the role of women. While they barred women from public life during their time in power, they said they now believed in women’s rights, including to education and work — a claim met with skepticism by some women in Afghanistan.