Russian ambassador says Moscow not considering deploying its troops to Afghanistan

ISTANBUL

Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan on Tuesday said his country is not considering the deployment of its troops in the war-torn country as Moscow and Kabul’s top diplomats held talks in the Russian capital.

“Absolutely out of the question,” Zamir Kabulov told reporters following the seventh meeting of consultations on Afghanistan in the Moscow format, reminding Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during the meeting, which conveyed Moscow’s rejection of the deployment of third-party military infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighboring states.

According to Kabulov, the meeting served to demonstrate the commitment of all regional states to continue actively developing ties with the interim Taliban administration in “all areas of mutual interest.”

Kabulov further said that interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who arrived in Moscow to take part in the event, told Lavrov that Kabul will not allow the deployment of foreign military bases in the country, noting: “And this also applies to the base in Bagram.”

Late last month, Beijing said that China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan have opposed any move to reestablish military bases in Afghanistan after US President Donald Trump asked the interim Taliban administration to return Bagram Air Base to the Pentagon.

Kabul rejected Washington’s demand, while Trump warned "bad things" would happen if the Taliban administration does not cede control of the air base which served as the largest US military site in the country before US-led forces withdrew following the Taliban's return to power in August 2021.

Kabulov noted that Russia welcomes any dialogue ongoing between the US and the interim Taliban administration on the reopening of each other’s embassies, and that Moscow would welcome the possible opening of diplomatic missions by other countries as well.

Kabulov's remarks also came amid a bilateral meeting between Lavrov and Muttaqi in Moscow, during which the Russian foreign minister expressed his country's commitment to assisting Kabul in achieving new successes in various issues, including in the fight against drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime.

In July, Russia recognized the Taliban administration as the official government of Afghanistan, making it the first country to do so.