CNN
–
Russia has become the first country to recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan since it came to power in 2021, and announced on Thursday it has accepted an ambassador for Muslim groups.
“We believe that the official act of recognition of the U.S. Islamic Emirates in Afghanistan will induce impulses in the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“We see a substantial outlook for trade and economic cooperation with focus on projects in the areas of energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure,” the statement continued. “We will continue to support Kabul in strengthening the security of our region and combating the threat of terrorism and drug-related crime.”
The Russian Ministry’s statement was accompanied by a photograph of Russia’s new Afghan ambassador, Guru Hassan Hassan, who handed him his qualifications to Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.
In a post on X, along with a photo of Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki meeting with Russian ambassador Kabul Dmitry Zirnov, the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision as positive and important.
Russia’s perception is historically important. The former Soviet Union fought a nine-year war in Afghanistan, but Moscow retracted its troops after the defeat by the Afghan Mujahideen in 1989, some of which later founded the modern Taliban.
In the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Russia was one of the few countries to maintain its diplomatic presence within the country. Russia removed the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist group in April 2025.
While the Taliban holds it These countries do not recognize it as the Afghan government, as they exchange ambassadors with China and the United Arab Emirates and have long-standing political offices in Qatar.
The lack of awareness does not prevent Afghanistan’s new rulers from doing business with the outside world. In 2023, a Chinese oil company signed an oil extraction agreement with the Taliban.
Furthermore, the Taliban is catching up to the perception of another former enemy, the United States. Efforts have reportedly increased since US President Donald Trump launched his second term earlier this year. In March 2025, two Americans from Afghanistan were released, and the US removed millions of dollars in prize money from three Taliban officials.
Those familiar with American conversations with Muslim groups told CNN in April that the Taliban had proposed many steps towards US awareness, including the creation of offices like embassies in the US to deal with Afghanistan’s issues.
According to those familiar with the minutes, U.S. officials told the Taliban at a March meeting to secure the release of American prisoners. “Do this, it will probably open the door for a better relationship.”
It was not the first time the US had diplomatically involved with the Taliban. In the final year of his first term, Trump reached an agreement with the group for a complete US withdrawal by 2021. The deal achieved chaotic fulfillment as the Taliban came to power during the former US president’s first summer in the White House.
