- Monday, April 07, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
RUSSIA, one of India’s closest allies, has ruled out a military alliance with India to help the Afghanistan government but is interested in having a close coordination with the South Asian country, a senior Russian Embassy official said in New Delhi on Wednesday (14).
Russian Deputy Head of Mission Roman Babushkin said this at a media conference at a time when the Afghan issue seems to be acquiring critical dimensions over the resurgence of the Taliban in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal from its soil.
“We have got some real experience in Afghanistan but let us be very clear, the situation doesn’t require foreign military involvement. We are not considering this option. We will be acting through the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) to fortify the borders, if required. It will be important for all of us to maintain coordination. India has been training army personnel. So too is Russia. All options are possible,” he said.
The CSTO is a six-nation grouping which includes besides Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Belorussia and Kyrgyzstan. According to the Kremlin, the new Taliban are fragmented between hardliners who want to fight on and others who favour a political solution.
“We have heard commitments, but have to see their implementation,” Babushkin said. On India’s role in the issue, he said India has shown a huge interest in Afghanistan, adding that the current moment is crucial for everyone to remain in close touch to support the original consensus on Afghanistan and efforts by the Afghans to share power according to agreements reached before.
India, Russia fail to agree on Afghanistan
Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar has been meeting leaders of key nations that would have a role to play in Afghanistan once the US pulls out, including Russia. However, during his recent visit to Moscow, while Jaishankar said the force that governs Afghanistan has a “legitimacy aspect” to it and that is something which should not be ignored, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was of the opinion that it was only the people of Afghanistan who could decide if they were okay with the current situation.
India seems to be less than convinced with Russia’s approach to the Afghanistan question. Moscow’s outreach to Pakistan, which is a very important player in the entire Afghanistan issue, and Taliban, have made its position a conundrum for India. Russia also wants a quick exit of the US-led foreign troops from its backyard while India is more concerned that the exit will lead to a security vacuum in which terror groups will prosper.
On Wednesday, Babushkin also said that the Taliban is a “reality” in Afghanistan and the world should be open to seeing them as a politically legitimate group like Lebanon’s Hezbollah, a Shiite Islamist political party and militant group.
He said New Delhi should engage with the Taliban as with any other section of the Afghan society.
On the question of Taliban and Islamic States, the Russian diplomat said Russia does not see any connection between the two outfits. He said while the Islamic State has a global outreach, the Taliban are more limited to Afghanistan.
