Russia Recognizes Taliban Regime

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that it had accepted the credentials of Gul Hassan Hassan, ambassador for the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan. This makes Russia the first country to recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers.

China, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates all have ambassadors in Kabul, but they have stopped short of having a bilateral exchange of ambassadors or making another move of official recognition.

https://twitter.com/AlexisZakharov/status/1941038614898729153

What is changing? The recognition does little more than formalize Russia’s actions in Afghanistan.

• In 2021, while the Taliban ousted the United States-backed former government, Russia was one of the few countries that didn’t close its embassy in Kabul.
• In 2022, Russia was the first country to sign an economic agreement with the Taliban, agreeing to export food and fossil fuels to Afghanistan.
• This April, Russia removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.
• Russia already accepts foreign workers from Afghanistan.

U.S. withdrawal: After the U.S.’s 2021 evacuation of Afghanistan, we wrote in the October 2021 Trumpet:

Who are the main victors of America’s chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal? At first glance, it may look like the Taliban came out on top. Within weeks of the United States’ ignominious exit, the Islamic terrorist organization took control and, with state-of-the-art U.S. weaponry, suddenly became the best-equipped militant organization in history.

But in the broader geopolitical picture, the even bigger winners are China and Russia.

After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the country essentially became an American territory. But since 2021, the nation is clearly falling into Russia’s sphere of influence.

Learn more: Read “Why Russia and China Are Rejoicing.”