Russia Signs Military Cooperation Pact with Afghanistan

New Delhi ( The Indian View team) : Russia and the Taliban-led authorities in Afghanistan signed a military-technical cooperation agreement on 27 May 2026 during the International Security Forum in the Moscow region. The agreement was signed by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob.

Military-technical cooperation is a form of state-to-state engagement that covers defence equipment, training, maintenance, logistics, and related security coordination. The exact contents of the Russia-Afghanistan document were not made public, and the agreement was described as a step in defence and security cooperation.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country. Russia suspended the ban on Taliban activities in April 2025, and the Supreme Court removed the group from its list of terrorist organisations.

In July 2025, Russia became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government by accepting the credentials of its ambassador in Moscow. Afghanistan’s foreign relations after 2021 have involved contacts with several regional powers, while formal recognition by states has remained limited.