Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s National Security Advisor, called for the initiation of a national reconciliation process in Afghanistan during his visit to Kabul and meetings with senior Taliban officials. He emphasized that Russia seeks lasting peace in Afghanistan and expressed readiness to assist in this process.
Shoigu, who previously served as Russia’s Defense Minister, arrived in Kabul on Monday, leading a high-level delegation. He held separate meetings with key Taliban figures, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, Mullah Yaqoob, the Defense Minister, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister.
According to Russian news agencies, Shoigu stated in these meetings: *“We reaffirm our readiness to establish constructive political dialogue between our countries, including facilitating the process of reconciliation among Afghans.”*
The intra-Afghan dialogue, part of the Doha Agreement between the Taliban and the United States, stalled after the fall of the previous Afghan government and the Taliban’s full takeover of power. While opposition groups have repeatedly called for negotiations over the past three years, the Taliban has consistently rejected such requests.
Last year, Feridun Sinirlioglu, the UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan, presented a report to the UN Security Council, outlining a roadmap for engaging with the Taliban. This included initiating a political process for the participation of Afghan political forces. However, the Taliban has remained resistant to these proposals and to the return of former government officials.
Meanwhile, the Taliban stated that discussions with the Russian delegation focused on expanding economic cooperation, without addressing Russia’s call for national reconciliation. Abdul Ghani Baradar requested Russia’s help in countering the impact of Western sanctions. He remarked: *“We expect Russia to assist us in mitigating the pressure imposed by these sanctions.”*
These requests come as the United States and its Western allies have frozen Afghanistan’s assets and imposed restrictions, such as travel bans on Taliban leaders, following their takeover of the country.