UNITED NATIONS — Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, accused Western nations of failing to adopt a realistic approach toward Afghanistan, arguing that isolating the Taliban through sanctions and aid cuts is counterproductive. He called for direct engagement with the Taliban, saying that cooperation is the only viable path to stability in the region.
Speaking at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Afghanistan on Monday, March 10, Nebenzya said that nearly four years after the Taliban took power, Afghanistan has withstood international sanctions and a humanitarian crisis without descending into civil war.
“A country which relied on international support for many years did not slip into civil war. It did not fall apart,” the envoy said. “Yet it remains clear that in light of the scale of all of the problems that have piled up over years of war, all the threats, that the people of Afghanistan need our sustained support and assistance now more than ever.”
The Russian diplomat traced Afghanistan’s current state back to the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in Doha in 2020 and the subsequent withdrawal of American forces under President Biden. He described the rapid collapse of the previous Afghan government and the flight of former President Ashraf Ghani as an “embarrassing” moment for U.S. policy in the region.
The Russian envoy criticized what he described as the West’s attempt to pressure the Taliban through sanctions and reductions in humanitarian aid, arguing that such tactics are ineffective and counterproductive.
“Some Western donors continue to stubbornly refuse to recognize their own errors, maintaining the idea that they can arm-twist the Taliban by cutting off humanitarian assistance and other development assistance channels,” he said.
Nebenzya pointed to the Moscow Format—a multilateral initiative involving regional powers such as China, Pakistan, and Iran—as a model for engagement with the Taliban.
“There is no other game in town aside from pragmatic cooperation with the Taliban, and some Western donors are beginning to understand that. Unfortunately, not all of them,” he said.
Moscow has maintained diplomatic ties with the Taliban while pushing for a more inclusive government in Afghanistan. While Russia has not formally recognized the Taliban, it has advocated for engagement rather than isolation, arguing that stability in Afghanistan is key to regional security.
