The UK, along with France and Germany, is now resigned to the fact U.S. President Joe Biden will not extend the August 31 deadline for pulling all forces out of Afghanistan. The rush is still on to get out as many of their nationals and Afghan allies before then.

But the need for U.S. and UK troops to close down their operations at Kabul's airport means the actual deadline for evacuations of non-military personnel and civilians could be even sooner. 

The UK still hopes to continue evacuations right up to the deadline, but Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he is waiting to hear from the military about when flights might end.

"The question of the buffer, if you like, that the military need at the end of the withdrawal, we'll get further details in due course," he said.

READ MORE:

Can we eradicate poverty?

The Taliban is 'the people's choice' claims group

The spoon revolutionizing meals in space

British newspaper The Guardian is reporting evacuations could end as early as the weekend.

Tuesday's G7 meeting discussed a roadmap for future engagement with the Taliban. The emphasis will be on holding the Taliban to its commitments including allowing Afghans to leave the country, not to retaliate against those who opposed it, as well as respecting women's rights and allowing girls to go to school.

Raab warned the UK and others are considering sanctions as a possible tool to keep the Taliban to its word.

"There's a whole range of tests for the Taliban and we will be looking to use what leverage we've got – the international financial institutions, the provision of aid, the potential for sanctions – to exert the maximum moderating influence that we can," Raab said.

Former Afghan government diplomat Ahmad Shah Katawazai reiterated the need for the Taliban's new government to be more moderate than its previous administrations in an interview with CGTN Europe. 

"This should be a moderate government, inclusive government and corruption-free government, where they can provide basic facilities to the people. And economic growth should be their priority. That's what the people want," he said. 

The Taliban has told CGTN Europe it will keep its promises and that it would be unfair to impose new sanctions. 

The question of withholding foreign aid as a potential sanction against the Taliban could prove be a controversial move, with fears that ordinary Afghans would be the ones to suffer most. 

The World Food Program estimated 20 million people are in need of humanitarian support in the country amid shortages of medicines and food and much of the countryside facing a severe drought. It said $200 million is urgently needed to help tackle food insecurity.

The World Bank announced it is halting funding for all of the country's reconstruction and development projects. The IMF also suspended payments and the Biden administration has frozen the Afghan central bank's assets held by the U.S. Federal Reserve. 

These issues are unlikely to be resolved until after the evacuation ends and the world gets an indication of what sort of government the Taliban forms.