KABUL (Dispatches) -- Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban administration signed 15 economic cooperation agreements worth $103 million during a high-level visit to Kabul Thursday, as both sides seek to expand trade that has more than doubled this year.
The memorandums of understanding were signed in the presence of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk and Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, according to Afghan government deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat. 
The deals cover Afghan imports of medicines, wheat, flour and cooking oil from Russia, alongside exports of fresh fruit, particularly pomegranates, to the Russian market.
Overchuk arrived in Kabul on Thursday leading a delegation that included more than 70 business representatives from dozens of Russian companies active in transport, logistics, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. 
The visit included meetings with Prime Minister Muhammad Hasan Akhund and other senior officials. 
Overchuk said Moscow intended to expand trade ties by supporting the export of Afghan products to the Russian market, and proposed that Afghanistan establish cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission.
Speaking at the talks, Overchuk said bilateral trade exceeded $349 million in the first eight months of 2026, more than doubling year-on-year, with Russian exports to Afghanistan up 2.2 times and Afghan imports to Russia rising by the same margin. 
He noted that Afghan supplies to Russia had expanded beyond dried fruits to include fresh fruits, vegetables and berries, and called for improved refrigerated transport capacity to sustain the growth.
Baradar, according to the Afghan government, invited Russian companies to invest in mineral extraction, infrastructure and special economic zones, citing the country’s “strategic location, rich resources and a large workforce of 24 million people of working age”. 
Overchuk said Kabul had expressed strong interest in Russian fertilizers, grain, vehicles and energy-related machinery, and raised the possibility of building fertilizer production plants inside Afghanistan.
Russia formally recognized the Taliban government in July 2025, becoming the only country to do so since the group seized power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces. 
The Taliban administration remains largely isolated internationally, with frozen assets and sanctions restricting its access to global financial systems, and has been actively courting foreign investment from non-Western partners.