New York Times, British Media ‘Claims Are Nothing But Lies,’ Declares Kremlin’s Peskov

June 30, 2020 (EIRNS)—Russian officials have expressed their disgust over the false claims by the New York Times and British media that Russia was paying Taliban militants to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

Slamming these reports at a press briefing on June 29, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “These claims are nothing but lies,” commenting on the publication in the New York Times. “Once again, we can only express regret that the once largest, reputable and high-quality world media outlets have been increasingly more often publishing elaborate hoaxes in the last few years, which definitely does not bode well with keeping up with their reputation and prestige,” Peskov stressed according to TASS. “If intelligence services continue to be accountable before the President in the U.S., then I suggest you focus on the relevant statement of President Trump who already evaluated these publications.”

The Russian Embassy in London denounced the British media for carrying the false stories, in response to a media question yesterday. “The British media seems to enjoy repeated speculations on various ‘secret deals’ between Russia and the Taliban. Those bogus stories follow the same pattern: anonymous sources accuse our country of certain hostile actions, with no arguments or details provided, nor a shred of evidence. In other words, we are dealing with a work of fiction,” a Russian diplomat stated.

“The goal of such publications, besides contributing—one way or another—to the U.S. domestic political intrigues, is to rekindle interest in mythical ‘Russian threats’ amidst challenging social processes and debates at home. At the same time the aim is to divert attention from the allies’ failures in their nearly 20-year-old Afghan campaign by attempting to shift responsibility for the deteriorating situation on the ground to those who have nothing to do with it,”

the envoy assessed.