Russia-Taliban military deal: Pragmatism over Western benchmarks

Russia has become the first country to sign a military cooperation agreement with Afghanistan’s Taliban government, formalizing defense ties with Kabul after decades of turbulent history.

Speaking to RT India, Gleb Makarevich, Indo-Pacific research fellow at Moscow’s Primakov Institute, says the move is driven less by ideology and more by pragmatism. With the Taliban in control of Afghanistan, Moscow sees cooperation as a way to strengthen regional security, support counter-terrorism efforts and protect stability in Central Asia.