Russia Hosts Consultations on Afghanistan, Including with a Taliban Delegation
Russia said it will keep backing humanitarian aid and regional security talks as officials from eight neighboring countries joined the Taliban delegation.
- On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to Moscow for consultations on Afghanistan. Officials from China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also participated in the talks.
- Russia formally recognized the Taliban government in 2025, marking a diplomatic breakthrough after the group struggled for international recognition since taking power in August 2021. Lavrov highlighted the fifth anniversary of Afghanistan's transition from NATO presence.
- Speaking during Monday's talks, Lavrov said "the powerful military machine of the United States and their NATO allies was broken" by Afghans. He recalled the Soviet Union's 10-year war in Afghanistan, which ended with Moscow withdrawing troops in 1989.
- Russia's top diplomat reaffirmed that Moscow views any NATO military infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighboring countries as "categorically unacceptable." Such presence is "fraught with destabilization and escalating conflict," Lavrov said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin's envoy, Zamir Kabulov, said Moscow is ready to help defuse ongoing cross-border fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Kabulov told reporters Russia stands ready to act "independently or together with other partners" if both sides request assistance.
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29 Articles
Representatives from several countries, including India and Pakistan, attended a key meeting on Afghanistan in Russia. Russia clarified its stance at the meeting, while important issues regarding the Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions also emerged.
The Russian Federation regrets that, following today ' s meeting of the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan, it was not possible to adopt a joint statement between Kabul and Islamabad, as announced by the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov.
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Russia hosts Taliban and regional powers for fresh Afghanistan talks
Russia brought Taliban officials together with regional powers for fresh consultations in Moscow. The meeting highlighted Moscow’s deeper backing for Kabul and its push against any future NATO footprint.
Russia hosts consultations on Afghanistan, including with a Taliban de
Front, from left, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov pose for a photo ahead of the Moscow format consultations on Afghanistan in Moscow, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
Russia hosts consultations on Afghanistan, including with a Taliban delegation
Russia has hosted consultations on Afghanistan that included a delegation of the country's ruling Taliban government along with officials from China, India, Iran, Pakistan and other nations
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