05/29/2026
Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban government signed a military technical cooperation agreement during the International Security Forum in Moscow, according to Russian media reports published Wednesday. Taliban defense minister Mohammad Yaqoob and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu discussed expanding bilateral cooperation, though the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The deal follows a series of moves strengthening ties between Moscow and the Taliban since the group returned to power in 2021. Russia removed the Taliban from its list of banned terrorist organizations in 2025 and later accepted the Taliban’s ambassador to Moscow, while President Vladimir Putin previously described the group as “allies in the fight against terrorism.”
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