Russia becomes first nation to recognize Afghan government since 2021 Taliban takeover
'We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,' the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
'We see significant prospects for cooperation in the trade and economic area with an emphasis on projects in the fields of energy, transport, agriculture, and infrastructure,' the statement continues. 'We will continue to assist Kabul in strengthening regional security and combating the threats of terrorism and drug-related crime.'
The statement by the Russian ministry was accompanied by a photo of the new Afghan ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan, handing his credentials to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
In a post on X, alongside pictures of Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi meeting with Russian Ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov, the Taliban's foreign ministry hailed the decision as positive and important.
Russia's recognition is historically significant. The former Soviet Union fought a 9-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow withdrawing its troops in 1989 following their defeat by the Afghan mujahideen, some of whom later founded the modern Taliban.
In the aftermath of the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia was one of a few nations to maintain a diplomatic presence in the country. Russia removed its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist group in April 2025.
While the Taliban has exchanged ambassadors with China and the United Arab Emirates, and has a long-standing political office in Qatar, those countries do not recognize it as the government of Afghanistan.
The lack of recognition has not prevented Afghanistan's new rulers from doing business with the outside world. In 2023, a Chinese oil company signed an oil extraction deal with the Taliban.
Moreover, the Taliban has angled for the recognition of another former adversary: the United States. Efforts have reportedly ramped up since US President Donald Trump began his second term earlier this year. March 2025 saw the release of two Americans from Afghanistan, along with the US removing millions of dollars of bounties from three Taliban officials.
People familiar with American conversations with the group told CNN in April that the Taliban has proposed numerous steps toward US recognition, including the creation of an embassy-like office within the US to handle Afghan issues.
'You need to be forthcoming and take a risk,' US officials told the Taliban during a March meeting to secure an American prisoner's release, according to the person familiar with the proceedings. 'Do this, it will likely open up the door for a better relationship.'
It wasn't the first time the US had diplomatically engaged with the Taliban. In the last year of his first term, Trump reached an agreement with the group for a full US withdrawal by 2021. The deal achieved a chaotic fulfillment as the Taliban swept to power during former US President Joe Biden's first summer in the White House. — CNN
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Hamas responds to Gaza ceasefire proposal as Israel prepares for talks in Doha
JERUSALEM — Israel has received a formal response from Hamas regarding a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza, with local media reporting late Friday that discussions on the proposal's details are now underway. According to Israel's Channel 12, an anonymous source confirmed that mediators conveyed Hamas' 'positive reaction' to the latest plan aimed at halting the war in the besieged Gaza Strip. The source added that an Israeli delegation is expected to travel to Doha soon to begin negotiations on implementing the proposal, though no official date has been set. 'We have completed our internal consultations with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the mediators' latest proposal to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza,' Hamas said in an official statement. Citing diplomatic sources, Channel 12 reported that negotiations in the Qatari capital would likely last no more than a day and a half. Meanwhile, Egypt has launched renewed diplomatic efforts to help finalize an agreement, with Al-Qahera el-Ekhbariya reporting that Cairo is holding intensive contacts with various parties to resume indirect talks and reach a final, mutually agreed formula. According to Israel's public broadcaster KAN, Hamas has reiterated three core demands: the return to a previous aid distribution mechanism, an extension of the initial 60-day ceasefire period, and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. The withdrawal demand is expected to be a major obstacle, with Israeli daily Israel Hayom noting that Tel Aviv is unwilling to fully evacuate the Morag Axis, a military corridor separating Rafah from Khan Younis in southern Gaza. US President Donald Trump may announce a breakthrough in the negotiations during a planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington next Monday, Yedioth Ahronoth reported, citing unnamed officials. Though Hamas has not disclosed the full details of the latest proposal, Israeli and American media suggest that the plan includes the phased release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the remains of 18 others, in exchange for a significant release of Palestinian detainees and a gradual Israeli military pullback from specified areas inside Gaza. The issue remains politically charged in Israel, where top officials continue to demand the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its leadership. Meanwhile, Palestinian and Israeli rights groups have condemned the conditions faced by more than 10,400 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, citing torture, starvation, and medical neglect. Despite mounting international pressure, Israel's military campaign in Gaza has continued unabated since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack. More than 57,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities. The International Criminal Court last November issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in the war. — Agencies
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Pakistan army kills 30 militants in cross-border clash near Afghanistan
ISLAMABAD — The Pakistan army on Friday said it had killed at least 30 suspected militants during an attempted cross-border infiltration from Afghanistan into the tribal district of North Waziristan. In an official statement, the military said the group was intercepted by security forces in the Hassan Khel area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Troops 'effectively engaged and thwarted the Indian-sponsored Khawarij's attempt to infiltrate,' the statement claimed, using a term often employed by Pakistani authorities to refer to extremist elements. 'As a result of precise and skillful engagement, all thirty Indian-sponsored Khawarij were sent to hell,' the army said, adding that a significant cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered from the scene. The military also called on the Afghan Taliban administration to prevent its territory from being used by what it described as 'foreign proxies' to launch attacks against Pakistan. 'Interim Afghan authorities need to check and prevent the use of Afghan soil for such activities,' the statement was no immediate response from either Kabul or New Delhi regarding the incident comes amid a surge in violence in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt. Last week, a suicide bombing in North Waziristan killed 13 Pakistani soldiers. In the aftermath, 14 militants were killed in retaliatory operations by the has repeatedly accused Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants, allegedly based in Afghanistan, of orchestrating attacks inside its borders. The Taliban government in Kabul has denied any role in the cross-border violence.
Leaders
3 hours ago
- Leaders
Iran Conflict will End on Negotiating Table: Col. Dahouk
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran to eliminate its nuclear program and prevent it from acquiring a nuclear weapon. As a result, both countries exchanged intensified aerial and missile attacks for 12 days. Then on June 22, the US intervened in the conflict by striking three nuclear facilities in Iran, namely Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, using bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles. Although the US President, Donald Trump, has insisted that the US strikes had set Tehran's nuclear program back 'decades,' adding that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been 'completely and totally obliterated,' there are reports suggesting the Israeli and US strikes have not completely destroyed Iran's nuclear program. In this context, the Former Senior Military Advisor to US Department of State, Colonel (Ret.) Abbas Dahouk, said that the US strikes caused massive damage to Iran's nuclear program but has not completely destroyed the program, emphasizing that the Iranian nuclear issue will be settled through negotiations. US Strikes Impact Speaking to Al-Arabiya, Col. Dahouk pointed to the damage inflicted by the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. 'It seems like the political messaging from all parties go beyond realty on the battlefield,' he said. 'The US strikes on three nuclear sites, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, were highly effective and managed to undermine these sites. The US used the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in the world,' Col. Dahouk noted. 'There is a massive damage, but when we talk about the entire Iranian nuclear program, it has not been completely destroyed. There is no way to destroy knowledge or ideology by military power,' he added. Return to Negotiations Col. Dahouk said that the only way to resolve Iran nuclear issue is through negotiations. 'All this has to come to the negotiating table. Battles do not end on battlefields, they end on the negotiating table,' he noted. 'The US will win if Iran returns to negotiations to reach some sort of a deal. Trump may agree to something like that, but it seems that Israel perhaps may have a veto to this process because it wants to completely destroy Iran's nuclear program. So, we will see the outcomes of the next round of negotiations,' Col. Dahouk said. New Round of Talks Washington is preparing for the first direct meeting with Tehran since the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, in Oslo next week, Axios reported citing two American officials. The US Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, to resume talks. Commenting on the choice of Oslo as the location for the talks, Col. Dahouk, said: 'I think, not exactly sure why in Oslo, maybe because it is a neutral location and both parties agreed to it. The most important thing here is war and peace.' He pointed to the importance of building trust between the US and Iran. 'The most important thing is trust, which must be established between the US and Iran in the diplomatic process. We have to wait and see what Iran will agree to after the 12-day war, which has not ended in any form. There is a ceasefire, which means a temporary pause in the war and each party may be regrouping and assessing its position. We have to wait and see what Iran will agree to from the US' terms,' he said. Iran's Calculations Asked about Iran's insistence on not compromising and coming to the negotiating table, Col. Dahouk said that it depends on Iran's calculations. 'It is up to Iran. They are the only ones who can provide the reasons behind all this, and their calculations and ideologies,' he said. 'But the Iranian regime knows what happened to other countries when they gave up their nuclear capabilities, such as Libya, Ukraine, Iraq and Syria. It also knows what happened to countries which kept their nuclear programs, such as Pakistan and North Korea,' he added. 'Therefore, they consider the nuclear program the last line of defense and once they lose it, they will lose a lot of political and deterrence capabilities. This could end the Iranian regime. If the regime wants to protect itself, it must protect the nuclear capabilities. This is what they are fighting for,' Col. Dahouk said. Resumption of War Regarding the possibility of the resumption of war between Iran on one side and the Israel and the US on the other side, the Former Senior Military Advisor to US Department of State expected this could happen if negotiations failed. 'We are in a ceasefire. And during ceasefires, warring parties regroup and rearrange their political and economic capabilities. If the talks are not held, there might be another strike or more attacks,' Col. Dahouk noted. Short link : Post Views: 9
