Russian delegation visits Afghanistan to discuss trade and investment with the Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk arrived in Kabul Thursday for trade and investment talks with Afghanistan's Taliban government, Afghan officials said.

Russia officially recognized the Taliban government in July 2025. It remains the only country to have done so since the former insurgent group seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 in the wake of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Largely isolated from the international community and with a struggling economy , Kabul has been keen to increase foreign investment and open new trade avenues.

Overchuk was met with an honor guard in Kabul before heading into meetings with Afghan Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund and Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs.

In posts on its official X social media account, the Afghan government said Baradar stressed Afghanistan’s potential for economic development and investment, highlighting “its strategic location, rich resources and a large workforce of 24 million people of working age.”

During the meeting, Baradar invited Russian companies to invest in Afghanistan in sectors including mineral extraction , the development of factories, infrastructure and special economic zones. He also said there was scope to expand exports of Afghan agricultural products to Russia, and for Russian investment in Afghanistan’s agriculture and livestock farming, the government posted.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Overchuk as saying that Russia intends to develop trade ties with Afghanistan.

“Today our delegation includes more than 70 businessmen representing dozens of Russian companies, many of which already work in Afghanistan, (while) many want to begin working,” Interfax quoted him as saying. “For our part, first of all, we see the task in creating conditions for contacts between business communities to develop normally.”

Overchuk said companies represented in the delegation are involved in transportation, logistics, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals. He said Kabul is interested in Russian fertilizers, including in “building fertilizer production plants directly in Afghanistan.”

“We see a big interest from the government of Afghanistan in developing relations with Russia. And we are ready to support Afghanistan in that. First and foremost, so that the economy develops, jobs are created, people have normal incomes and can live peacefully,” Overchuk said, according to Interfax.