Russia has accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan, becoming the first country to officially recognize the Taliban government. The move is part of an ongoing drive to build friendly relations with the country’s Taliban authorities, which seized power as United States troops withdrew from the country four years ago.
According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the recognition will “give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields.”
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Russia’s decision would be an example for others. “Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone,” Muttaqi said in a video of a meeting with Dmitry Zhirnov, the Russian ambassador to Kabul.
The move is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen billions in Afghanistan’s central bank assets and enforced sanctions on some senior leaders in the Taliban.
Moscow has taken steps to normalize relations with the Taliban authorities since they seized power in August 2021. A Taliban delegation attended Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024, and the group’s top diplomat met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last October.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the Taliban “allies in the fight against terrorism,” particularly against Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), a group responsible for deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia.
The recognition comes after Russia’s Supreme Court lifted the “terrorist” designation for the Taliban in April. Lavrov said that month that “the new authorities in Kabul are a reality,” urging Moscow to adopt a “pragmatic, not ideologised policy” towards the Taliban.
Russia’s attitude towards the Taliban has shifted drastically over the last two decades, from viewing them as a terrorist organization to seeing them as a potential economic partner and ally in fighting terrorism.
The move is also seen as a strategic move by Russia to compete for influence in the region. Russia was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover and has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia.
The Afghan government is not officially recognized by any world body, and the United Nations refers to the administration as the “Taliban de facto authorities.” As the international community continues to navigate its relationship with the Taliban, Russia’s recognition of the group is likely to have significant implications for the region.