Pompeo on Afghanistan talks, Syria, Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said "we should seize the moment," when it comes to setting the groundwork for Afghanistan peace talks.

Back in Washington after visiting Africa, Pompeo told reporters that the truce in fighting was holding.

"This is the first weeklong break and violence by all sides," he said.

The temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban took effect on Friday, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal next week aimed at ending 18 years of war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home.

If successfully implemented, the weeklong "reduction in violence" agreement, which came into force at midnight Friday local time (1930 GMT, 2:30 p.m. EST), will be followed by the signing of the peace accord on Feb. 29, wrapping up America's longest-running conflict and fulfilling one of President Donald Trump's main campaign promises.

Pompeo reiterated that a political solution was needed for Syria, as "the Assad regime's brutal new aggression there, cynically backed by Moscow and Tehran, imperils now more than 3 million displaced persons."

He repeated warnings to Russia over election interference in the United States: "The Trump administration will always work to protect the integrity of our elections. Period. Full stop. Should Russia or any foreign actor take steps to undermine our democratic processes, we will take action in response."

Pompeo also offered condolences to the family of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.