The future of NATO’s operation in Afghanistan will depend on the outcome of peace talks involving Taliban insurgents, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday, after a U.S. envoy reported important progress from the latest round of negotiations, AP reported.

According to him, the future force level of NATO troops is very much dependent of course on the outcome of those talks. Stoltenberg underlined that the negotiations are far from over.

“It’s too early to pre-empt the outcome of the talks,” Stoltenberg said. “There’s still much to be done before a peace deal is in place.”