Russian President Vladimir Putin currently has no plans to initiate direct contact with Taliban leaders, the Kremlin said on Friday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made the remarks in response to a question about whether Putin was preparing for talks with the Taliban leadership.

At present, there are no such plans, Peskov said adding that, however, within the framework of bilateral relations, contacts at various levels will continue.

While Moscow has increased its engagement with the Taliban in recent months, including accepting a Taliban-appointed ambassador, Peskov’s comments indicate that top-level communication remains off the table for now.