KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, regional security, counter-narcotics efforts and security cooperation, the Taliban foreign ministry said.
Muttaqi is leading a Taliban delegation to Moscow for the eighth round of the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan, which brought together representatives from Russia and several regional countries on Monday.
During the meeting, Muttaqi described political relations between the Taliban and Russia as “positive” and thanked Moscow for formally recognizing the Taliban government. He called for stronger security cooperation, regular consultations on security issues and expanded economic and trade ties, the Taliban foreign ministry said.
Shoigu said relations between Russia and the Taliban were developing and that political consultations and practical cooperation between the two sides would continue, according to the ministry.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Moscow Format talks, which ended on Monday without a joint statement after disagreements between the Taliban and Pakistan over the wording of the final text.
Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said the Taliban objected to language that repeatedly referred to Afghanistan in the context of terrorism. Kabulov said the Taliban argued that similar wording had been used at the previous meeting and that bilateral relations had since changed.
During his visit to Moscow, Muttaqi also held talks with other senior Russian officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russia has steadily strengthened its engagement with the Taliban since the group returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. In April 2025, Russia’s Supreme Court removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, clearing the way for closer official contacts.
Moscow subsequently accepted a Taliban-appointed ambassador, and in July 2025, Russia became the first—and so far the only—country to formally recognize the Taliban government.
Despite the warming political relationship, Russian officials continue to voice concerns about militant groups and drug trafficking in Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, Shoigu said between 18,000 and 23,000 militants affiliated with more than 20 armed groups were operating in Afghanistan. He identified terrorism and drug trafficking as major threats to stability in Central Asia, according to Russian state media.
Shoigu has also said that the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, has about 3,000 members in Afghanistan and has carried out several major attacks in recent years.
