Russian and Taliban officials signed an agreement on military and technical cooperation during the visit of Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, to Moscow, Russian state media reported on Thursday.
According to the Russian news agency Interfax, the agreement was discussed during a meeting between Yaqoob Mujahid and Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin.
Neither side publicly disclosed details of the reported agreement, and it remained unclear what forms of military or technical cooperation it would involve.
During the meeting, Yaqoob said the Taliban and Russia had expanded bilateral relations and described cooperation with Moscow as important.
“We have historical relations and we want to further expand them,” he said, according to Russian media reports.
Shoigu welcomed the Taliban delegation and described the visit as part of efforts to implement previous understandings reached between Moscow and Taliban authorities.
“We are interested in Afghanistan being a united, independent and peaceful state,” Shoigu said. “We note the measures taken by your country to combat terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan.”
He also called on Western countries to release Afghanistan’s frozen assets and accept responsibility for rebuilding the country after two decades of war.
“We are convinced that Western countries should unfreeze Afghan assets and recognize their full responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan,” Shoigu said.
The senior Russian official also reiterated Moscow’s opposition to any return of U.S. or NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan or neighboring countries.
“We consider unacceptable — both for us and for our Afghan friends — the return of military structures or facilities of the United States and NATO to Afghanistan or neighboring states under any pretext,” he said.
The Taliban Defense Ministry confirmed the meeting and said the two sides discussed bilateral cooperation and “a number of other important issues,” without mentioning a military agreement.
The visit comes as earlier this month, Shoigu said between 18,000 and 23,000 fighters affiliated with more than 20 armed groups were operating in Afghanistan. He identified terrorism and drug trafficking as major threats to regional security.
Shoigu also said the ISIS’s regional affiliate, ISIS-K, has around 3,000 members in Afghanistan and has been involved in several major attacks in recent years.
Russian officials have repeatedly warned about the risk of instability spreading from Afghanistan into Central Asia, even as Moscow deepens political and economic ties with the Taliban.
Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban rule and has expanded contacts with Taliban officials across diplomatic, economic and security sectors since the group’s return to power in 2021.
Russian analysts and media outlets have increasingly speculated about possible military cooperation between Moscow and the Taliban.
The newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that one possible focus of Yaqoob’s visit was discussions about potential Taliban access to Russian military equipment and weapons systems, although neither side has officially confirmed such talks.
