World

Russia Steps Forward as Possible Mediator Between Pakistan and Afghanistan

Elena MarquezPublished 7m ago2 min readBased on 13 sources
Russia Steps Forward as Possible Mediator Between Pakistan and Afghanistan
Image by 089photoshootings from Pixabay

Russia has put itself forward as a possible mediator between Pakistan and Afghanistan after sending senior officials to both countries this week.

Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev held talks with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Rawalpindi on October 14, 2026. At the same time, SVR director Sergey Naryshkin travelled to Kabul to meet Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, according to Al Jazeera.

The visits followed an offer from Moscow to help reduce tensions. Russia's special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told TASS in early October that Russia was ready to act as a peace broker between Kabul and Islamabad if both sides requested it.

Pakistan had already approached Moscow about mediation. Its ambassador to Russia, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, said in March 2026 that Islamabad had raised the idea. The Taliban had not publicly requested Russian mediation as of October 16.

Tensions between the neighbours have involved cross-border strikes and fighting. UNAMA said Pakistani strikes between September 30 and October 1, 2026 killed at least 10 civilians, mostly children. Earlier border fighting killed dozens of soldiers and fighters, and major border crossings were later suspended.

Russia has ties to both sides. It was the first country in the world to officially recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and it recently hosted consultations on Afghanistan that included a Taliban government delegation.

Moscow has previously called for restraint. In October 2025, it urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to exercise restraint after two days of deadly border fighting, and it later welcomed an agreement on a mutual ceasefire along the border.

According to Al Jazeera, Russia has close ties with the Taliban and is courting Islamabad, but analysts say its leverage to ease tensions remains uncertain. Russia has said it was ready to work with regional partners to bring the Taliban and Pakistan closer together to resolve their disputes.

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