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"As soon as the US chose to engage in a direct conversation with North Korea... abandoning their usual, sometimes very harsh and even insulting rhetoric, the hope for a peaceful settlement immediately appeared."The president has been speaking at a plenary session of the 16th meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi. The annual gathering with high-ranking guests deals with global challenges.
"Mr. Trump was able to make a historic step by crossing the line of misunderstanding and alienation; meeting with Kim Jong-un and launching a negotiation process."

"To the Taliban and their foreign sponsors, hear this now, a message from the Afghan people: Join us in peace, or we will continue to fight. This is a fight we can win. Peace is our common objective, and terrorists are our common enemy."However, peace cannot be rushed "at the risk of empowering" terrorists, he said.
Taliban attacks have continued during the weekend's presidential election after the collapse of talks over a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban.See also:
Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said a column of more than 400 Taliban fighters on motorbikes attacked Shortepa district police headquarters in the early hours. The attack sparked a gun battle that is still under way.
"Eleven police officers were killed in the attack. The Taliban also suffered heavy losses," Farhad said.
Karim Khan, the Shortepa district chief, said the Taliban had captured 13 other policemen and set the headquarters buildings on fire before leaving the area. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents had overrun the district.
The chief of the Balkh provincial council, Muhammad Afzel Hadid, said he feared the toll could rise further unless reinforcements arrived promptly, as the district is in a remote area.

Comment: It is more likely we will never know the full story behind the dog-and-pony scandals that have rocked the nation, courtesy of partisan politics emanating from those elected to represent us. We have fallen for 'causes' without legality, maneuvers that lessen our rights, belief in judicial structures that continually fail us and politicians with false personae whose only concern is to achieve an agenda. Undermining half of government will never make us stronger, never 'Make America Great Again' unless we first demand a return to value, decency, and adherence to principle and law for every citizen - the way it's supposed to be.