The Taliban have said they would have agreed to a cease-fire with the U.S. after a deal is signed but wouldn’t agree to a cease-fire with the Afghan government.

It was unclear which cease-fire Mr. Trump was citing in the remarks, but the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, swiftly interpreted it as a nationwide cease-fire.

The Taliban’s position was unchanged, said Suhail Shaheen, the group’s spokesman in Doha, Qatar.

“Cease-fire with U.S. forces will begin only after the signing of the peace agreement,” Mr. Shaheen told The Wall Street Journal on Friday. As for the Afghan cease-fire, “It will be discussed and finalized in intra-Afghan negotiations, following the signing,” he said.

For years, the Taliban have been steadfast in their refusal to talk to the Afghan government until they first reach an accord with the U.S.