Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim described his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “great” as Malaysia seeks to turn high-level political engagement with Moscow into stronger trade, investment and commercial ties.
The roughly 20-minute meeting at the ITC Maurya Hotel was Anwar’s first bilateral engagement after arriving in New Delhi. It comes as Malaysia leverages its BRICS partnership to deepen economic links with major emerging markets and expand its presence across the Global South.
Asked about the outcome of the talks, Anwar said: “It was a great. It was a great meeting! The rest is for tomorrow.”
The meeting explored opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation in key economic sectors, including energy, aviation, palm oil, education and tourism.
The focus on these sectors reflects Malaysia’s push to translate closer diplomatic relations into tangible trade and investment opportunities, while creating greater scope for business-to-business cooperation with Russia.
Although bilateral trade remains relatively modest, there is room for further expansion. Trade between Malaysia and Russia stood at RM8.72 billion in 2025, comprising RM2.91 billion in Malaysian exports and RM5.81 billion in imports.
Trade momentum continued into 2026, rising 7% year-on-year to RM3.55 billion in the first five months of the year.
Malaysia’s exports to Russia include electrical and electronic products, machinery, equipment and parts, as well as processed food. Major imports from Russia comprise petroleum products, minerals, chemicals and chemical-based products.
The meeting also comes as Malaysia seeks to strengthen broader Asean-Russia economic ties. Asean data showed two-way merchandise trade reached US$18.1 billion in 2024, up 13.2% from the previous year.
For Kuala Lumpur, BRICS offers an additional platform to pursue opportunities in trade, investment, technology and energy with Russia and other major emerging economies. It also supports Malaysia’s efforts to diversify its economic partnerships and widen market access.
The latest engagement builds on Anwar’s visit to Russia in May 2025, during which discussions covered cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, education, aerospace and energy.
The visit reflected Malaysia’s efforts to broaden its economic relationship with Russia beyond traditional areas while maintaining an independent foreign policy and constructive relations with major global powers.
Against that backdrop, the latest Anwar-Putin meeting signals Kuala Lumpur’s continued push to turn political goodwill into deeper economic cooperation and open up new opportunities for Malaysian businesses in Russia and the wider BRICS market.
