Putin inks deal with Taliban; Russia to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan

• The Taliban have signed a provisional deal with Russia to supply gasoline, diesel, gas and wheat to sanctions-hit Afghanistan, according to a Reuters report. The Taliban said they want to diversify their trading partners. Taliban officials also said that under the deal, Russia has offered a discount from the average global commodity prices. This is the first big international economic deal that the Taliban has signed since they took power of Kabul more than a year ago. The deal with Russia could help ease Taliban's isolation that has effectively cut Afghanisation off from the global banking system.