Nearly a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin called Afghanistan’s Taliban an “ally” in countering terrorism, Moscow lifted a two-decade-old ban on the group, aiming to bolster ties with Kabul to crush a joint enemy — the Islamic State.

The move was “no surprise,” given Putin has spoken of growing cooperation with the Taliban on terrorism, said John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center. Those comments were “specifically directed against ISIS,” which claimed responsibility for the bloody Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in March 2024, he said.

The decision will also “open the door for official recognition of the Taliban government,” which has remained a pariah since taking power in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, said Faizullah Jalal, an independent Afghan political analyst and human rights activist.

Normalizing relations could increase economic activity between the two countries. Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said late last year it’s looking to hammer out projects in the energy and agriculture sectors with the Taliban, according to the Tass news agency, and by the end of last year Afghanistan had become the top buyer of Russian flour.

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