Russia became the first country in the world to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, after removing them in April from its list of terrorist organizations. The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin following a proposal by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

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Moscow’s ambassador to Kabul, Dmitry Zhirnov, explained the decision Thursday on public television, saying that the recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan demonstrates a “genuine desire to build a full-fledged partnership” with the Central Asian nation, as he highlighted Russia’s traditional friendship with the Afghan people.

On Thursday, Taliban diplomats raised their flag—white with the Islamic creed written in the center—on the balcony of their embassy in the Russian capital for the first time since taking power in 2021, according to news agency TASS.

The new Afghan ambassador, Mawlawi Gul Hassan, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday and presented his credentials to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday. Currently, the Taliban manage diplomatic missions in at least 14 countries, including Türkiye, China, and Pakistan, but Russia is the first to officially recognize them.

In July 2024, Putin called the Taliban “allies in the fight against terrorism” – notably against Islamic State Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), a group responsible for deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia.

In December 2024, Putin signed a law allowing the removal of the Taliban and other groups from the list of terrorist organizations, provided they renounce support for, justification of, and propaganda for terrorism. In recent months, the Russian government has expressed willingness to cooperate with the Taliban in both counterterrorism efforts and economic and trade matters.

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