As Pak turns US stooge, Afghan Taliban lean on Russia; history comes full circle

Kabul (TIP): History appears to be turning a full circle in Afghanistan. Decades after the Soviet Union fought a costly war there, Russia has signed its most significant defence-related agreement with Kabul since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
The agreement, signed on May 27, comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Following Pakistan’s military offensive in February this year, which targeted Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar, ties between the two neighbours have sunk to their lowest point in years. The US subsequently backed Islamabad’s actions, describing them as Pakistan’s “right to defend itself”.
Against this backdrop, the Taliban leadership has increasingly looked towards Russia as a strategic partner. Moscow, for its part, has steadily expanded diplomatic and economic engagement with Kabul since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Russia later becoming the first and only nation to grant official recognition to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
While the full details of the agreement have not been made public, officials on both sides have described it as a framework for maintaining and restoring Soviet and Russian-made military equipment already in Afghanistan. This includes a fleet of Mi-17 helicopters that were procured by the United States and Nato to equip the former Afghan Air Force. Soviet and Russian-origin equipment, ranging from small arms and armoured vehicles to trucks and helicopters, continues to form the backbone of the Taliban’s arsenal. Much of this hardware was acquired during the Soviet-Afghan War, the civil war that followed, and the Taliban’s takeover after the collapse of the US and Nato-backed Afghan republic in 2021.
The agreement was signed by Afghanistan’s Defence Minister, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, and Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, according to TOLO News.
Speaking at the signing ceremony on May 27, Mujahid expressed hope for closer ties between the two countries.
“We hope these interactions will be further strengthened. Afghanistan was involved in war for forty years and was occupied by the US for twenty years. As a result of that occupation, Afghanistan suffered extensive damage, and after the victory, the country has also faced economic and humanitarian challenges due to sanctions,” he was quoted as saying by Kabul-based news outlet, TOLO News.
Russia wants to see Afghanistan emerge as a stable and independent state while supporting efforts against terrorism and narcotics trafficking, Shoigu was quoted as saying by TOLO News. “We are interested in Afghanistan becoming a united, independent, and peaceful country. We acknowledge the measures you have taken to combat terrorism and drug-related crimes on Afghan soil,” he said.
Political analyst Abdul Basir Basirat told TOLO News that such agreements are important for regional stability and the protection of shared interests. “Such agreements are essential for regional security and for safeguarding shared interests,” Basirat said.
Both Kabul and Moscow have claimed that the latest deal signed between them is not a security or defence pact, and is rather focussed on technical cooperation.