Russia-Taliban relations

The Afghanistan issue gives Moscow another reason to remain closely engaged in the security affairs of Central Asia.

The Islamic State movement -- including its Afghanistan iteration -- is vehemently anti-Russia in orientation, criticizing its foreign and domestic policies.

Russia had worked for years to establish contacts with the Taliban, even though it designated the group a terror organization in 2003.

Putin is warning of “militants under the guise of refugees” in an effort to dissuade Central Asian states from cooperating with U.S. evacuation efforts.

The answer is less clear now, in 2021, than it was in 1996. 

The consensus is that negotiation is the only way out of the conflict for Afghanistan, but that only holds true if the international community is united. It’s not.

Sher Mohammed Abbas Stanikzai, who led the Taliban delegation to Moscow,  insisted that the Taliban have been abiding by the deal.

Over the past few years, Moscow, Tehran and Beijing have warmed to the Taliban. What explains their change of heart?

From Moscow to Beijing, Tehran to Islamabad, Taliban delegations have found welcome in diplomatic halls.

An expansion of Russia’s diplomatic involvement could help non-Western powers expand their say over Afghanistan’s political future.

Russia's embrace of the Taliban is increasingly coming at the expense of Afghan President Ghani's government.