Monitoring Desk: Russia and the Taliban government in Afghanistan have signed a military cooperation agreement.
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the agreement was signed on Wednesday at Russia’s first International Security Forum, hosted by the Security Council from May 26 to 29. Russia is the first country to formally recognize the Taliban-led regime in Afghanistan, and this recent agreement indicates that the Kremlin intends to deepen its strategic partnership with the Afghan Taliban.
According to Afghan media reports Taliban’s government Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has managed to convince Russia to provide their government with modern air defense equipment that would, according to Taliban can provide protective layer against Pakistan Air Force.
Analysts also point out that India that has maintained growing engagement with the Taliban authorities through diplomatic contacts and security-related understandings such as intelligence sharing, training, and cooperation in regional projects, Russia is second country to boost military importance of Afghan Taliban regime.
Russia has gradually increased its support for the Afghan Taliban since April 2025, when it lifted the ban on the Taliban regime, previously designated as a terrorist organization. Recently, Russian intelligence officials claimed that Afghanistan has become a threat to global peace because several terrorist groups have established bases inside the country.
The deal was finalized during an international security forum in the Moscow region following a meeting between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob. Yaqoob is the Taliban’s former military chief and the son of the group’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
The specific terms of the agreement have not been made public, according to the Interfax news agency. Bilateral frameworks of this nature generally involve the exchange of weapons, manufacturing licenses, and defense technology, alongside joint research projects, training programs, and intelligence cooperation.
According to various United Nations, United States, and Pakistani security assessments, Afghanistan has increasingly become a safe haven for several international terrorist organizations since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Reports by the UN Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team have repeatedly warned about the presence and activities of groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Al-Qaeda, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP/ISIS-K), the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Jamaat Ansarullah, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). These reports state that many of these organizations continue to maintain training camps, logistical networks, and operational freedom inside Afghanistan.
The United States has also expressed concern that Afghanistan could once again emerge as a hub for transnational terrorism. American intelligence assessments and congressional reports have warned that terrorists organizations are regrouping inside Afghanistan under Taliban rule, posing a threat to regional and international security.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of failing to prevent terrorist groups, particularly the TTP and BLA, from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Pakistani security officials and intelligence reports have confirmed that terrorists receive sanctuary, training, funding, and operational support from bases located across the border in Afghanistan.
Some analysts in Pakistan downplayed the immediate impact of the agreement, describing it as a symbolic effort by Moscow to formalize its relationship with Kabul on paper rather than the beginning of a deep strategic partnership. However, regional security observers believe that the pact could encourage the Afghan Taliban to further host, fund, and train terrorist organizations such as the BLA and TTP. They warn that this development may adversely affect Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to eliminate terrorist networks operating from Afghan territory.
The agreement comes as Moscow continues to deepen official contacts with Afghanistan’s current authorities. Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban-led government after the group returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
