Under two locks: The US and the EU refuse to engage in dialogue on unblocking Afghan assets

Moscow and Kabul are seeking to unfreeze Afghan state assets, but no progress is expected in solving this problem in the near future, Russian Presidential special Envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov told Izvestia. The United States and Europe are completely ignoring the negotiations on this issue. After the Taliban came to power, the country lost access to $9 billion of its reserves. In the West, they are afraid to transfer money to the current Afghan authorities. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in the country is deteriorating: 22 million people are in a critical situation, and the UN assistance plan is not even funded by a fifth.

Why don't they unfreeze Afghan assets

Afghanistan completely lost access to its foreign financial reserves in 2021. We are talking about about $9 billion, of which $7 billion is held in the United States, and the remaining $2 billion is in banks in Europe and the UAE. Attempts to unblock them have not stopped since that moment, but it has not yet been possible to move the situation from the dead end, Zamir Kabulov, the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for Afghanistan, told Izvestia.

— Since it was not Russia or the SCO members who blocked [these assets], but the United States and the Europeans, they should be unblocked. This is a question for them," Kabulov said.

He added that there is no dialogue with the Americans and Europeans on this issue. In Moscow, the issue of assets is linked to the responsibility of the West for the consequences of its military campaign in Afghanistan. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said in May that Western countries should recognize responsibility for their 20-year presence in the country and shoulder the burden of its post-conflict reconstruction.

Russia is seeking to unblock Afghan assets primarily through political and diplomatic means. Moscow regularly raises this issue in regional formats — at the SCO venues and meetings of the Moscow format on Afghanistan. Its key neighbors in the region, China, Iran, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, are also calling for the immediate unfreezing of assets.

But the West still flatly refuses to discuss the transfer of reserves to the current Kabul authorities. Officially, the United States and Europe explain this by saying that the Taliban government is not internationally recognized. In addition, they fear that billions of dollars will be spent on inappropriate expenses.

At the same time, they openly criticize the Taliban's policy. In particular, the fact that the country has adopted many laws that discriminate against women. For example, they are prohibited from receiving education above primary school and working in most fields. Appearance and any movement at all are strictly regulated. The UN considers such a policy to be systemic discrimination. Therefore, for the United States and Europe, the transfer of reserves may be a political step that will be perceived as legitimizing the current Afghan authorities.

In order to formally clear itself of the charges of economic strangulation of Afghanistan, the United States transferred half of the frozen reserves ($3.5 billion) to a specially created Swiss fund for the Afghan people. The money was supposed to be used for targeted humanitarian aid, bypassing the Taliban regime. Thanks to successful investments, by the end of 2024, the fund's assets have grown to almost $4 billion, but Kabul does not have real access to these resources: the money lies motionless.

It is significant that in the case of Iran, the United States is ready to demonstrate flexibility in this matter. According to media reports, the agreement between Washington and Tehran, which is currently being actively negotiated, included the unblocking of up to $25 billion of Iranian assets. Later, the Iranian side announced that it had agreed with the United States to release $12 billion of frozen funds. At the same time, Washington has not publicly confirmed the transfer of money.

The difference in approaches lies in the origin of this money, said Ilya Guzhev, a junior researcher at IMEMO RAS.

— Iran's money is the sovereign income from oil exports that the country earned and stored in Western banks. The situation with Afghanistan is different: its reserves were largely formed due to years of direct financial injections from the United States and European countries themselves," the expert noted.

Why Afghanistan needs money

From the very beginning, Kabul demands that all frozen reserves be returned to the Central Bank. The Afghan authorities emphasize: This money belongs to the people, not to specific politicians, and it is needed to stabilize the entire financial system, not for current budget expenditures. For Afghanistan, the issue of assets is fundamental. Hunger and unemployment are currently the most acute problems in the country, Guzhev stressed.

22 million people in the country — almost half of the population - need help. Funds are needed for food, medicine, nutrition for children, access to clean water and financial assistance to the poorest families. The UN humanitarian plan in this area is designed to support 17.5 million people and requires $1.71 billion. By the end of May, donors had allocated only $269 million, or only 16% of the required amount.

The Central Bank's reserves are also needed to support the exchange rate of the national currency, ensure international settlements and the normal operation of banks. After they were blocked, transactions were limited, there was not enough cash, and imports decreased. This directly affects the country's ability to provide for itself. The prolonged crisis threatens the security of all Afghanistan's neighbors. Poverty, unemployment and hunger are rapidly radicalizing the local population. Unlocking reserves would help reduce this social tension.

Russia is trying to stabilize the situation. First, in recent years, she has transferred $4 million to the UN World Food Program, including a target contribution of $1 million to provide food for about 150,000 people.

Secondly, Moscow regularly sends humanitarian aid directly to Afghanistan. In May 2025, 1.28 thousand tons of flour were delivered to the northern province of Balkh. As Kabulov informed Izvestia, the Russian Federation is also planning new supplies. Emergency support is also provided by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations — after a strong earthquake in 2025, about 40 tons of food, tents and medicines were promptly delivered to the affected areas.

But these efforts are objectively insufficient. Moscow's local assistance only closes the most acute gaps. Only the unfreezing of foreign reserves can launch the banking system, establish imports and free Kabul from external dependence. But as long as the United States and Europe block negotiations, the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan will only grow.