Russia said on May 14th that it is moving toward a “full-fledged partnership” with the Afghan Taliban, marking another step in Moscow’s rapid diplomatic shift toward the Islamist movement that returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces.
The announcement, made by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and reported by state news agency Interfax and international outlets, underscores Moscow’s growing willingness to treat the Taliban as a long-term governing reality and expand cooperation across security, economic and political domains.
Mr. Shoigu said Russia was building a “pragmatic dialogue” with the Taliban that spans security coordination, trade, cultural exchange and humanitarian assistance. He also encouraged other regional states to expand engagement with Kabul, framing Afghanistan’s stability as a broader regional security concern, according to reporting from Reuters citing Interfax news agency.
Russia’s latest statement builds on a series of policy shifts over the past two years. In 2025, Moscow formally lifted its 2003 designation of the Taliban as a terrorist organisation, clearing a key legal obstacle to deeper engagement. The latest announcement of ‘full-fledged partnership’ followed Russia’s acceptance of a Taliban ambassador in Moscow and its status as the first country to formally recognise the Taliban-led administration.
That recognition, reported in earlier Reuters coverage, positioned Russia as an outlier among major powers, most of which continue to withhold formal recognition of the Taliban government due to concerns over human rights, especially restrictions on women and girls.
Despite these concerns, Moscow has steadily expanded contacts with Kabul, citing shared security interests and the need to address militant threats operating across Afghanistan and neighbouring regions.
Russian officials have repeatedly framed engagement with the Taliban through the lens of counterterrorism. Mr. Shoigu reiterated that Afghanistan remains home to a significant number of militant groups, which Russia views as a potential threat to regional stability.
According to Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency, Mr. Shoigu said up to 23,000 fighters linked to more than 20 militant organisations are active in Afghanistan. He credited the Taliban with fighting extremist groups, including Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), which Russia considers a direct security risk following past attacks linked to the group.
“The situation in Afghanistan is of particular importance for ensuring security in the SCO space. This primarily concerns the threats of terrorism and drug trafficking emanating from its territory,” Mr. Shoigu said. “Kabul, to its credit, is waging a fierce armed struggle against Islamic State, the main ideological and political rival of the Taliban movement. According to our data, the group numbers around 3,000 members,” he said.
Mr. Shoigu made his remarks during a meeting with counterparts from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional grouping that includes China, India, Iran, Pakistan and several Central Asian states.
He called for the revival of an SCO contact group on Afghanistan, suggesting a multilateral framework for engagement with Kabul. Russia has increasingly used the SCO as a platform to promote regional solutions to Afghanistan’s political and security challenges, rather than relying on Western-led diplomatic structures.
Likewise, the Russian Defense Minister Andrey Removich Belousov, during a meeting of defense ministers from the SCO in late April, had said that Afghanistan continues to be a major source of cross-border crime and terrorist threats and stressed the need for coordinated regional efforts to address emerging risks from the region.
Alongside security concerns, Russia has signalled interest in expanding economic ties with Afghanistan. Mr. Shoigu described cooperation as extending to trade, infrastructure, agriculture and humanitarian assistance, according to Interfax reporting.
In late April, the CEO of Afghanistan’s national electricity provider, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), Mullah Abdul Haq Hamkar, met with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Energy Vladimir Khazov in Moscow, wherein the two sides reportedly agreed on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.
Per the statement issued by DABS, the Russian companies will work with Afghanistan’s power utility to conduct joint technical assessments in electricity generation and energy development projects.
According to Russian media reports, an Afghan delegation is also participating in the 17th Russia-Islamic World Economic Forum, which is taking place at the time of writing of this article in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan.
According to Rustam Khabibullin, head of the Russian business centre in Afghanistan, who announced the participation of the Afghan delegation in this forum, three deals could be signed, focusing on energy, agriculture, and infrastructure development.
“The forum plans to sign three contracts for the Afghan side’s purchase of petroleum products and agricultural produce from Russia, as well as a contract for a Russian construction company to invest in the development of Afghanistan’s infrastructure,” said Mr. Khabibullin.
Tanmay Kadam is a geopolitical observer based in India. He has experience working as a Defense and International Affairs journalist for EurAsian Times. He can be contacted at tanmaykadam700@gmail.com.