Russia becomes first country to formally recognise Taliban rule in Afghanistan

Russia on Thursday accepted the credentials of Afghanistan’s new ambassador, becoming the first country to officially recognise the Taliban government in Kabul since the Islamist group seized power in August 2021, CNN reported.

The Russian foreign ministry said that the official recognition of the government in Afghanistan will give “impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields”.

While the Taliban has exchanged ambassadors with China and the United Arab Emirates, and maintains a long-standing political office in Qatar, none of these countries have formally recognised it as the government of Afghanistan.