ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have failed in Istanbul after four days of negotiations, Pakistan’s information minister said early Wednesday, accusing the Taliban government in Kabul of refusing to act against militants blamed for deadly cross-border attacks.
The talks followed an earlier round in Doha that produced a ceasefire on Oct. 19 after deadly border clashes between the two sides left dozens dead, including soldiers, civilians and militants.
However, the ceasefire was still holding and no new clashes were reported between Pakistan and Afghanistan hours after the talks collapsed.
Pakistan accuses the Taliban of harboring militants linked to a surge in attacks, while Kabul denies its territory is being used against Pakistan.
Before dawn Wednesday, Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar took to social media platform X, saying the dialogue “failed to bring about any workable solution,” despite mediation by Qatar and Turkey.
Kabul had no immediate comment.
The latest development came hours after state media in both countries said there was an impasse in the talks, with the state media from the both sides blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal.
Tarar said Pakistan at the request of brotherly countries Qatar and Turkey gave peace a chance and engaged with the Afghan Taliban government first in Doha and then in Istanbul.
He accused the Taliban of being “indifferent to Pakistan’s losses" even though “Pakistan has always desired, advocated and immensely sacrificed for peace and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan.”
Tarar said Pakistan was thankful to Qatar and Turkey for facilitating this dialogue, which was part of a broader diplomatic push to ease months of heightened tension between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border attacks and militant safe havens — issues that have strained relations since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan four years ago.
He said that “since the Taliban regime bears no responsibility towards the people of Afghanistan and thrives on war economy, it desires to drag and mire the Afghan people into a needless war."
Tarar said "Pakistan’s patience has run its course,” and warned that Islamabad would “continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism.”
Earlier, on Tuesday, three Pakistani security officials who had direct knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press that there was a deadlock in the talks in Istanbul over the reluctance of Kabul in accepting demands about assurances that Afghan soil not be used against Pakistan.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They said the host country was trying to end the deadlock so that the final round of the talks could resume as soon as possible.
According to the Pakistani officials, the Taliban delegation was “not fully willing” to accept Pakistan’s proposals and continued to seek guidance from Kabul before making decisions.
Afghanistan-controlled media RTA made similar accusations against the Pakistani side, saying Kabul “made every effort to hold constructive talks,” but that the “Pakistani side does not seem to have this intention.”
As the latest round of the talks was underway in Turkey, U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday pledged to help resolve the crisis between the two neighbors very quickly.
The recent fighting prompted Qatar to host the initial round of talks, which produced a ceasefire that both sides say is still holding despite the stalemate in Istanbul.
Islamabad-based security analyst Syed Mohammad Ali on Tuesday said Afghanistan’s strategy at the talks was to slow the diplomatic process and shift focus to other bilateral issues. He noted Afghanistan’s “reluctance to give clear, unambiguous and internationally verifiable commitment to act against Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban and other militants.”
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent years, mostly blamed on the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, a group closely allied to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Islamabad says the group is being sheltered in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
Authorities in Pakistan have said the country's military earlier this month targeted hideouts of the TTP in Afghanistan. It triggered deadly clashes between the two countries until Qatar brokered the ceasefire.
All border crossings between the two sides have remained shut for more than two weeks, with trucks carrying goods stranded pending the reopening of key trade routes.
Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Abdul Qahar contributed to this story from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
People wait near the closed gate at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, after the border was shut for nearly two weeks following clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sibghatullah)
People wait near the closed gate at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, after the border was shut for nearly two weeks following clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Sibghatullah)
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.
Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.
The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.
“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.
Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.
On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.
Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”
“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.
Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.
Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.
The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West's “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.
“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation," the embassy said.
Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”
Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.
The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.
A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coastguard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.
Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”
Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.
Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
From center to right, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, rear, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, right, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with senators from the Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)
Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
