KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban on Tuesday welcomed a move by Russia’s top court to consider lifting a longstanding ban on the group, calling it a “valuable step” toward strengthening ties between the two countries, according to Russian state media.
“We believe that all actions in this area aimed at cementing relations between Afghanistan and Russia are a good step,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, told the Russian news agency TASS. “These measures will help strengthen relations between the two countries and the two peoples and are regarded as a very valuable step.”
Russia’s Supreme Court announced on March 31 that the Prosecutor General had filed a request to suspend the ban that designates the Taliban as a terrorist organization under Russian law. The court has yet to issue a final ruling.
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation permitting legal interaction with groups on Russia’s list of banned organizations under certain conditions, paving the way for formal engagement with the Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan since 2021.
Leonid Slutsky, chair of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said at the time that the legal change would allow Russia to pursue “official interaction” with the Taliban authorities.
No country has formally recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, but several—including Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan—maintain diplomatic ties with the group. The Russian Embassy in Kabul continues to operate, and Taliban representatives currently manage Afghanistan’s diplomatic mission in Moscow.
