Stories
Russia Hosts Taliban and Regional Powers for High-Level Afghanistan Consultations
- •A Taliban delegation joined representatives from China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and other nations in Moscow for annual consultations on Afghanistan.
- •Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban administration for combating extremists and drug trafficking, highlighting ongoing military cooperation.
- •The talks were overshadowed by escalating cross-border tensions and blame exchanges between Afghanistan and Pakistan over militant attacks.
- •Russia expressed readiness to help mediate the conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan to restore regional stability.
- •Moscow remains opposed to the deployment of any NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring countries, viewing it as unacceptable.
Key Questions Answered
A delegation from Afghanistan's ruling Taliban government joined representatives from China, India, Iran, Pakistan and other nations in Moscow for annual regional consultations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov congratulated the Taliban on the fifth anniversary of Afghanistan's liberation from NATO, praised their efforts against extremists and drug trafficking, and discussed escalating cross-border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In July 2025, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban's government after removing the group from its list of outlawed organisations.
Cross-border fighting has escalated due to Pakistan launching airstrikes across Afghan provinces and Afghan fighters carrying out raids into Pakistan. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of sheltering militants such as the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, while the Taliban denounces Pakistan's attacks for killing Afghan civilians.
