Russia and US have similar interests in Afghanistan

The major transit countries for NATO cargo from Europe to Afghanistan will be Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The new transit corridor they form will possibly start functioning in the first half of this year, as the April 3-5 NATO summit will decide.

This does not mean that no other route would be used for transporting goods to Afghanistan. The Pakistani route still exists and sending goods via Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan is also still a possibility.

The US hopes that it is in Russia’s interest to cooperate with it in this area, however both states are seeking to establish their own spheres of influence in the region. Although the War on Terror has considerably suppressed the threat from Afghanistan narcotics traffic through this country pose other dangers.