Can Russia help ease tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan?

Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev met Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, in Rawalpindi on October 14, while SVR director Sergey Naryshkin travelled to Kabul to meet Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq. The contacts come after a year of clashes and threats between Pakistan and Afghanistan, despite a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Türkiye and talks hosted by China. Moscow says it is ready to mediate if both sides request it. Pakistan’s ambassador to Russia said Islamabad had already approached Moscow, while the Taliban have not publicly stated their position.