White House chief of staff Ron Klain
Ron KlainAides try to keep Biden away from unscripted events or long interviews, book claims White House debates vaccines for air travel House is no easy road for Biden, Democrats on .5T package MORE on Tuesday said he was unsure if the U.S. would ever recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.
While appearing on "The Mehdi Hasan Show," Klain was asked by Hasan if the U.S. will be recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan's government anytime soon.
"I don't think anytime soon. I don't know if we will ever recognize their government," Klain said.
"What we know is that the Taliban says they're going to form a government, we'll see what that looks like, we'll see what kind of credentials they present. More importantly, we'll see what their conduct is. Do they honor their commitments, to allow freedom of travel? Do they respect human rights?" Klain added.
"I think the question of recognizing a new government of Afghanistan is down the road here."
Me: "Will the U.S. be recognizing the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan any time soon?"
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 1, 2021
White House chief of staff Ron Klain: "I don’t think anytime soon, I don’t know if we will ever recognize their government."
Some breaking news tonight...pic.twitter.com/KBFCT5Maod
The international community has refrained from recognizing the Taliban thus far, with many international nongovernmental organizations swiftly cutting off Afghanistan's access to resources after the Taliban took control.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenFive things to watch as Biden heads to the UN Poll: Biden, Trump statistically tied in favorability Majority of voters disapprove of execution of Afghanistan withdrawal: poll MORE suggested that the U.S could possibly recognize the Taliban as a legitimate government during an interview held shortly after Kabul fell.
"A future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people and that doesn't harbor terrorists is a government we can work with and recognize," Blinken said while appearing on CNN's "State of the Union."
However, on Monday, Blinken signaled that recognition would not come easily for the militant group.
“The Taliban seeks international legitimacy and support. Our message is, any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned,” Blinken said.
“Going forward, any engagement with the Taliban-led government in Kabul will be driven by one thing only, our vital national interests,” he added. "Every step we take will be based not on what a Taliban-led government says, but what it does to live up to its commitments."
