In an interview with the government news agency RIA Novosti on Saturday, Zamir Kabulov, special envoy on Afghanistan for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that the US’s request for the Bagram airbase is not a recent development.
The Bagram airbase, situated near Kabul, was established in the 1950s by the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and was heavily utilized by Soviet forces during their involvement in Afghanistan, later being employed by US and NATO forces in operations against the Afghan Taliban.
“The Trump administration consistently called for the return of the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, which the US lost after their unfortunate retreat in August 2021,” Kabulov remarked.
His comments were in response to a query regarding the potential for the US to renew its request to the Afghan government for access to the Bagram airbase, especially in light of significant US military activity in West Asia.
Russia opposes the establishment of US and NATO military installations and infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighboring countries, he asserted.
”We trust that the authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will maintain a similar stance,” he added.
In September 2025, US President Donald Trump expressed a wish to regain control of Bagram airbase, which was vacated during the 2021 withdrawal, pointing to its strategic proximity to China.
Trump has consistently criticized the Biden administration for abandoning the base, labeling it a ”disaster” and a ”large air base” given up ”for nothing,” as reported by the Politico news outlet.
When asked about the ongoing clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Zamir Kabulov stated, “Accurately predicting how long the current phase of Afghan-Pakistan military conflict will continue is a challenging endeavor.” ”The conflict has deep-rooted causes,” he continued.
Islamabad has long accused the Afghan authorities of not taking effective measures to combat anti-Pakistan terrorist groups, Kabulov noted, adding that the Pakistani Taliban is entrenched in Afghanistan.
He also mentioned that Pakistan asserts air strikes are being conducted specifically against the bases and assets of the Pakistani Taliban.
(Edited by : Srabastee Biswas)
