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President Vladimir Putin will host Southeast Asian leaders in Kazan on Wednesday, moving to strengthen regional ties while the West ramps up pressure on Moscow to end its offensive in Ukraine.
The three-day summit marks 35 years of partnership between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Representatives from 11 nations will attend, with the prime ministers of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore, alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, arriving for the main sessions on Thursday.
The Kremlin announced that the leaders will discuss global security, trade, investment, and humanitarian cooperation.
Facing severe Western sanctions, Moscow has aggressively reoriented its economy and oil exports toward Asia.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim specifically intends to secure ongoing oil supplies as Asian countries grapple with the energy crisis triggered by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.
The summit arrives at a tense moment for the Russian economy, which faces high inflation, severe labour shortages, and rising borrowing costs.
On the battlefield, Russia’s military advance has slowed, and Ukraine has escalated attacks inside Russian territory, including the Tatarstan region hosting the summit.
Meanwhile, at the G7 summit in France, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Moscow to make a peace deal and warned that Washington will soon reimpose sanctions on Russian oil.
Despite the pressure, Putin continues to reject face-to-face talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
