TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Russia has become the first country to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government in Afghanistan. As reported by Al Jazeera, Russia has accepted the credentials of the new ambassador from Afghanistan as part of building friendly relations with the Taliban authorities in the country.
"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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday, July 4, 2025.
This move makes Russia the first country in the world to recognize the Taliban government in the country.
"This brave decision will be an example for others," said Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in a video meeting on Thursday with Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia's ambassador to Kabul, uploaded on X. "Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone."
Russia's recognition of the Taliban in Afghanistan is likely to be closely monitored by the United States. The U.S. has frozen Afghanistan's central bank assets worth billions of dollars and imposed sanctions on several senior Taliban leaders. These sanctions have largely cut off the Afghan banking sector from the international financial system.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, at which time U.S. forces supporting the internationally recognized government withdrew.
A Taliban delegation attended Russia's top economic forum in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024. Senior Taliban diplomats met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last October.
In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the Taliban as an ally in the fight against terrorism, particularly against the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K). The ISIS-K group is responsible for deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Russia.
In April, Russia's Supreme Court revoked the terrorist designation for the Taliban. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the time that the new authority in Kabul is a reality. He urged Moscow to adopt a pragmatic, not ideological, policy towards the Taliban.
Moscow's attitude towards the Taliban has changed drastically over the past two decades. No international body officially recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The United Nations refers to the government as a de facto Taliban authority.
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