Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged the establishment of relations between Moscow and the Taliban government, as a delegation representing the Taliban visits Russia.
During a meeting with foreign news agency delegates, Putin stated, “We have always believed that we need to deal with reality. The Taliban are in power in Afghanistan… We need to build relations with the Taliban government.”
Putin’s remarks came on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which included representatives from the Taliban among its invitees. The Taliban delegation arrived on Wednesday.
Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that Moscow plans to remove the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organizations, nearly three years after the group seized power by toppling a US-backed government.
Lavrov stated, “They are the de facto authority” in Afghanistan, during a visit by Putin to Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
Russia has classified the Taliban as a terrorist organization since 2003.
This move would strengthen diplomatic ties between Russia and Afghanistan, although it would not amount to formal recognition of the Taliban government.
For years, Russia has been strengthening its ties with the Taliban. In 2018, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan claimed that Moscow was supplying the Taliban with weapons, an accusation Russia denied at the time.
Historically, relations between Moscow and Afghanistan have been complex. In the 1980s, the Soviet Union fought a decade-long war against Afghan mujahideen, supporting a Kremlin-aligned government.
