The Taliban's Ministry of Defence denied having discussions with Russian officials regarding the purchase of equipment for the country's air defence systems.

Enayatullah Khwarizmi, Taliban’s spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence, stated that comments made by a Taliban defence official about purchasing Russian anti-aircraft equipment had been "distorted”.

Previously, a Taliban official had mentioned the group's intention to acquire Russian air defence systems.

Abdul Basir Saberi, head of the logistics department of the Taliban's Ministry of Defence, had said that the group needs Russian air defence systems.

He had emphasised that whenever conditions allow, the Taliban would purchase Russian-made equipment.

Following this news, Khwarizmi, the spokesperson for the Taliban's Ministry of Defence, wrote on X social media platform that there have been no talks with Russian officials about purchasing air defence weapons, and that Saberi's comments had been "distorted”.

The Taliban does not control Afghanistan's airspace, and over the past three years, the group's officials have criticised the US for violating Afghan airspace.

The US Department of Defence has stated that the Taliban's inability to control Afghanistan's airspace is the group's own problem.