Russia has offered to help ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, signalling a potentially larger diplomatic role for Moscow as the Pak-Afghan standoff deepens over cross-border terrorism.
Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert Khorev made the offer on Monday at a roundtable on Pakistan-Russia relations at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. He said Moscow was concerned about the growing friction between the two neighbours and was ready to contribute towards settling their differences.
Russia Pak-Afghan standoff and the border closure
Khorev said the continued closure of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border was also hurting Pakistan’s trade connectivity with Central Asia and Russia. He expressed hope that the border would reopen and tensions would subside.
The offer is significant because Russia has developed perhaps the closest relationship with the Taliban among major global powers. Moscow became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government last year, and the two sides signed a military-technical cooperation arrangement in May, though its full scope has not been made public.
The Russian envoy revealed that Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions figured prominently during Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev’s visit to Islamabad last week. Kolokoltsev became the first Russian interior minister to visit Pakistan, holding talks with the civilian and military leadership, including Field Marshal Asim Munir.
His visit coincided with Russian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Sergei Naryshkin’s trip to Kabul for talks with senior Taliban officials. A senior Russian Security Council official was meanwhile in New Delhi for consultations, indicating that Moscow is stepping up diplomatic engagement across the region.
Moscow Format split over Taliban
Russia’s approach to the Taliban has at times differed sharply from Pakistan’s increasingly critical position. Those differences were on display at the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan earlier this month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov praised the Taliban-led administration, while Pakistan pressed Kabul for concrete action against the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The meeting failed to produce a joint communique, with Pakistan later saying the Afghan side had not accepted language concerning terrorist networks operating from Afghanistan.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban authorities of allowing the TTP to use Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan, a charge Kabul denies. Pakistan has insisted that any meaningful dialogue must be accompanied by concrete and verifiable action against such groups.
Russia and Pakistan have steadily expanded trade and security cooperation, and the two sides agreed earlier this year to work towards an economic cooperation programme extending through 2030.
Pakistan’s response
Despite those differences, Islamabad has left the door open for a possible Russian role. At his weekly briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said Pakistan valued its engagement with Russia on Afghanistan and regional security.
He said Islamabad would welcome sincere efforts by friendly countries that could address Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns, although he stressed that the Foreign Office was not aware of any separate formal Russian mediation initiative.
“Such efforts should be meaningful and yield tangible progress,” the spokesperson said, adding that progress ultimately depended on concrete and verifiable Taliban action against terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Russia Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, who also addressed Monday’s discussion, stressed the need to expand the bilateral relationship and remove practical hurdles in ties. He prioritised visa facilitation, direct flights, and arrangements to remove banking and payment barriers.
Tirmizi outlined preparations for a bilateral business forum and discussed transport links through Iran, Afghanistan and China. Officials have also discussed rail connectivity linking Pakistan with Russia and Central Asia, a route that depends on a stable and open Afghan transit corridor.
Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan stretches over 2,600 kilometres, and its closure has repeatedly disrupted bilateral trade as well as onward cargo to Central Asia.
Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan at odds?
Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of sheltering the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose attacks have killed hundreds of Pakistani security personnel and civilians. Kabul denies the charge, and Pakistan has closed border crossings at times to press its case.
Has Russia mediated in the region before?
Russia has hosted the Moscow Format talks on Afghanistan since 2017 and was the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government. It has not previously offered a direct mediation role between Islamabad and Kabul.
Why does the border closure matter?
Beyond bilateral trade, the closure blocks Pakistan’s overland access to Central Asian markets, raising costs for exporters and complicating energy and transit projects that depend on Afghan territory.
*Source: The Express Tribune*
