https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-russia-taliban-talks/russia-to-host-talks-with-afghan-leaders-taliban-delegation-idUSKCN1N807BA while ago Russia invited several Afghan officials to conduct talks without President Ghani’s permission
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-russia-taliban/russia-reaches-out-to-afghan-leaders-for-taliban-talks-angering-kabul-idUSKCN1N71GDIf the Russians succeed in being more successful in bringing peace to Afghanistan, that would be a huge blow to the political capital the U.S. has left in the region, not to mention being a huge snub at previous attempts to kick Russia out of Central Asia.