The Afghanistan-Ukraine Dynamic: Exploring Diplomatic Ties And Solidarity

Afghanistan and Ukraine have both been subjected to invasions in recent years. Ukraine has been involved in a 14-year military presence in Afghanistan, which ended in 2021. Ukraine was part of NATO's non-combat mission Resolute Support, which provided training and advice for the Afghan Armed Forces. However, Ukraine's involvement in Afghanistan ended when the US and NATO decided to end their operations in the country. In 2022, Ukraine itself was invaded by Russia, and the country has been seeking support from Western allies to fend off Russian advances. Interestingly, Ukraine has also provided support to Afghanistan, including rescuing 96 Afghans from Kabul and donating wheat to the country to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

Ukraine withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, ending its 14-year involvement

Ukraine withdrew its troops from Afghanistan in 2021, bringing an end to its 14-year involvement in the war-torn Central Asian country. This withdrawal followed the decisions of the United States and NATO to end their operations in Afghanistan the same year. All 21 Ukrainian troops deployed in Afghanistan returned home between June 1 and 5, 2021, on board the Ukrainian Air Force's Ilyushyn Il-76MD transport aircraft, which is typically reserved for overseas operations.

The Ukrainian troops were a part of NATO's non-combat mission, Resolute Support, which aimed to train and advise the Afghan Armed Forces. Since 2007, Ukraine had also been involved in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a multinational military mission active between 2001 and 2014. According to Ukraine's General Staff, their personnel played a crucial role in the mission's regional staff service, engineer reconnaissance of transport communications, disposal of improvised explosive devices, and watch duties with the international joint rapid response task team.

The experience and insights gained during their time in Afghanistan will be applied back home, including in the war zone of Donbas, as stated by the Ukrainian military. Despite the withdrawal, there is speculation in the media that it will lead to the downfall of the internationally recognised Afghan government and pave the way for the Taliban to seize complete control of the country once again.

Even after the withdrawal of its troops, Ukraine continued to engage with Afghanistan. In September 2021, an elite team from Ukraine's military intelligence service, G.U.R., embarked on a daring mission to evacuate nearly 100 people, including Ukrainian citizens and Afghans at high risk, from Kabul. This rescue mission took place after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban and the departure of American troops, making it their first evacuation operation without American support.

Ukraine has conducted rescue missions in Afghanistan, including a daring operation to evacuate 96 Afghans after the US departure

The Ukrainian troops had to negotiate with novice and jumpy Taliban functionaries, who repeatedly changed the terms of the evacuation deal and even threatened to commandeer the plane. Despite these challenges, the Ukrainian soldiers successfully completed their mission and brought the evacuees back to Kyiv. This rescue mission demonstrated the capabilities of the Ukrainian military and their willingness to take risks to save those in danger.

In addition to this specific operation, Ukraine has conducted several other rescue missions in Afghanistan. For example, Ukrainian troops stationed at Kabul airport carried out a daring rescue of Canada-bound Afghan translators and their families. This operation was coordinated by the Ukrainian military, the office of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and The Globe and Mail. The Ukrainian soldiers ventured into Kabul on foot to escort two minibuses carrying a total of 19 people to the airfield. The evacuees were then flown to Islamabad, Pakistan, and later to Kyiv.

Ukraine's efforts to evacuate people from Afghanistan extend beyond these individual missions. After the withdrawal of US and foreign troops from Afghanistan in 2021, the Ukrainian military evacuated Afghans alongside Ukrainian citizens from the country. This followed previous rescue missions that had taken place after the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

Ukraine donated 30,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis

Ukraine has donated 30,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the country. The wheat, which is being milled into flour in Turkey before being shipped to Pakistan and then delivered to Afghanistan by truck, is expected to help mitigate hunger for some Afghans as the cold season starts in the landlocked country.

The United Nations (UN) says that hunger is nearly universal in Afghanistan, with 97% of its population living below the poverty line. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) have warned that food insecurity and widespread deaths due to hunger and cold weather are likely to increase in Afghanistan after November. According to their report, about six million people in Afghanistan will face severe hunger by November.

The donation of wheat from Ukraine is particularly notable given that the country is also facing a brutal invasion by Russia, which has led to an increase in food prices worldwide. Despite this, Ukraine has demonstrated its generosity and commitment to helping those in need. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, commended Ukraine for its donation, saying:

> Despite its own suffering in the face of Russia's brutal invasion, Ukraine has donated 30,000 metric tons of grain through the WFP to alleviate Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis.

The WFP also plays a crucial role in facilitating the shipment of wheat to Afghanistan. In August 2022, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it was giving $68 million to the WFP to buy 150,000 metric tons of wheat from Ukraine to feed needy countries in Africa and Asia. This donation builds on previous efforts by the US to support the WFP in purchasing Ukrainian wheat and helping to respond to the world's worst food crises.

Ukraine's experience in Afghanistan will be applied at home, including in the Donbas war zone

The experience gained in Afghanistan will be applied in Ukraine's war with Russia, particularly in the Donbas region. Ukraine's security sector reform has been successful, in contrast to Afghanistan's. Ukraine's forces have effectively resisted Russia's military onslaught, despite being outmatched on the ground. Ukraine's forces gained valuable experience during the post-2014 conflict in Donbas, which has contributed to their ability to resist Russia's invasion.

The United States and NATO have played a crucial role in supporting Ukraine's security sector reform. However, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) relied heavily on foreign support and were unable to operate independently. In contrast, Ukraine's security sector reform was evolutionary, starting small and gradually accelerating. The success of security sector reform has been negatively correlated with the magnitude of foreign involvement and the degree of reliance on foreign models.

Ukraine has also demonstrated its ability to adapt and apply its experience in challenging situations. For instance, Ukraine conducted a daring rescue mission to Kabul in September 2021, negotiating with the Taliban to evacuate nearly 100 people at high risk. This mission provided Ukraine with a crash course in dealing with a Taliban government struggling with internal division, bureaucratic chaos, and a propensity for violence.

Additionally, Ukraine has provided humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, donating 30,000 metric tons of wheat to alleviate the country's humanitarian crisis. This donation was facilitated by the World Food Program and funded by the United States.

NATO is considering using funds initially intended for Afghanistan to support Ukraine

NATO countries are considering using leftover funds from a pot of money previously used to back the Afghan security forces to provide support to Ukraine. The money, known as the Afghan National Army Trust Fund, supported equipment and training for troops. Kyiv has asked NATO nations to consider reallocating some of the $3.4 billion to help support their effort to fight Russia.

The push to reallocate the Afghan funds appears mostly uncontroversial within the alliance, but comes as individual countries face increasing tension at home about how much funding to provide to Ukraine. Money from the Afghanistan trust fund could become a temporary solution to Ukraine’s financing problem and ease tensions inside the alliance at a crucial moment in the war.

NATO officials have discussed the possibility of using the Afghanistan funds for Ukraine for more than a month, including during a meeting in Brussels in October 2022. The fund has been frozen and the alliance has worked to come up with a mechanism for transferring the money back to individual nations or moving it somewhere else, but it is up to each donor nation to decide how to use the money. Some NATO countries are considering using some or all of those funds for Ukraine.

At least one country has already committed to using some of the Afghan trust fund donations for Ukraine, while it remains a matter of discussion for many other allies once the money is returned to national coffers. The leftover funds from the Afghanistan account are likely not enough on their own to help Kyiv sustain its operations through the winter. But the money could help those European NATO countries with smaller budgets ramp up their donations to Ukraine at a time when their economies are struggling.

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