The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has emphasized the importance of establishing relations with the Taliban-led Afghan Interim Government as the landlocked country's current controlling authority despite the Taliban being officially banned in Russia.

Putin acknowledged that Afghanistan was facing significant challenges but stressed the need to establish ties with the Taliban as the country’s ruling authority. 

“These (the Taliban) are the people who control the country and its territory [and] are the current authority in Afghanistan," he told reporters in Tashkent. "We need to proceed [based on] reality and build relations accordingly."

Meanwhile, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has further elaborated that his country was looking to build "full-fledged" relations with the Afghan Taliban

"The Taliban are now in power, and we are close to establishing full-fledged relations with them," Medvedev stated [WHERE], indicating a significant development in the nature of Russia's engagement with the Taliban-led government.

Medvedev noted that the situation had changed over the last 20 years, with the Taliban once considered "terrorists," and the United States deemed a partner in the fight against extremism. "Now things are different," he said.

According to Medvedev, the authorities in control of modern Afghanistan were trying to engage in constructive dialogue. "To what point is it sincere? We'll find out," he said.

The development marked a crucial shift in Russia's approach toward the Taliban and Afghanistan, as the Eastern European nation seeks to establish a working relationship with the current Taliban authorities in Kabul.

Source: TASS News Agency