Russia, Taliban Move Toward Structured Defense Cooperation

DID Press: Russian media report that Vasily Ismakov, Russia’s deputy defense minister, met on Wednesday (Jan. 28) in Moscow with Mohammad Farid, the Taliban administration’s deputy defense minister for strategy and policy, to discuss expanding defense cooperation.

According to the reports, both sides agreed to take “joint steps” toward establishing a regular and structured framework for sustained defense collaboration.

The meeting comes amid a broader expansion of Russia’s defense engagements with regional partners under Defense Minister Andrei Belousov. The talks follow Russia’s formal recognition of the Taliban government in July 2025, a move that marked a new phase in official relations between Moscow and Kabul.

Russia has also formally included Afghanistan in the “Moscow Format consultations,” a diplomatic framework designed to coordinate discussions on regional developments. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the most recent session of this format, held in Moscow in October 2025.

Observers view these developments as part of Moscow’s effort to consolidate its role in regional security dynamics and to deepen political and defense ties with Kabul.