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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
•
3 min read
Russia becomes first nation to recognize Taliban government of
Afghanistan since 2021 takeover
By Max Saltman and Nina Subkhanberdina, CNN
Updated:
7:20 PM EDT, Thu July 3, 2025
Source: CNN
has become the first nation to recognize the Taliban government of
since it took power in 2021, announcing on Thursday it has accepted an
ambassador from the Islamist group.
“We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development
of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various
fields,” the Russian foreign ministry said in .
“We see significant prospects for cooperation in the trade and
economic area with an emphasis on projects in the fields of energy,
transport, agriculture, and infrastructure,” the statement continues.
“We will continue to assist Kabul in strengthening regional security
and combating the threats of terrorism and drug-related crime.”
The statement by the Russian ministry was accompanied by a photo of the
new Afghan ambassador to Russia, Gul Hassan Hassan, handing his
credentials to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.
In a post on X, alongside pictures of Foreign Minister Amir Khan
Muttaqi meeting with Russian Ambassador to Kabul Dmitry Zhirnov, the
Taliban’s foreign ministry hailed the decision as positive and
important.
Thawing ties with the outside world
Russia’s recognition is historically significant. The former Soviet
Union fought a 9-year war in Afghanistan that ended with Moscow
withdrawing its troops in 1989 following their defeat by the Afghan
mujahideen, some of whom later founded the modern Taliban.
In the aftermath of the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Russia was
one of a few nations to maintain a diplomatic presence in the country.
Russia removed its designation of the Taliban as a terrorist group in
April 2025.
While the Taliban has ambassadors with China and the , and has a
long-standing political office in Qatar, those countries do not
recognize it as the government of Afghanistan.
The lack of recognition has not prevented Afghanistan’s new rulers
from doing business with the outside world. In 2023, a Chinese oil
company an oil extraction deal with the Taliban.
Moreover, the Taliban has angled for the recognition of another former
adversary: the United States. Efforts have reportedly ramped up since
US President Donald Trump began his second term earlier this year.
March 2025 saw the release of two Americans from Afghanistan, along
with the US removing millions of dollars of bounties from three Taliban
officials.
People familiar with American conversations with the Islamist group
told CNN in April that the Taliban has proposed numerous steps toward
US recognition, including the creation of an embassy-like office within
the US to handle Afghan issues.
“You need to be forthcoming and take a risk,” US officials told the
Taliban during a March meeting to secure an American prisoner’s
release, according to the person familiar with the proceedings. “Do
this, it will likely open up the door for a better relationship.”
It wasn’t the first time the US had diplomatically engaged with the
Taliban. In the last year of his first term, Trump reached an agreement
with the group for a full US withdrawal by 2021. The deal achieved a
chaotic fulfillment as the Taliban swept to power during former US
President Joe Biden’s first summer in the White House.
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