Anwar latest Asian leader to visit Russia despite Ukraine war

He says meeting with Putin will strengthen cooperation and ties between the countries

Russia and Malaysia were set to discuss collaboration in areas from aerospace to advanced technologies on Sept 4, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim becomes the latest Asian leader to shrug off Western efforts to cast Russian President Vladimir Putin as an international pariah.

Datuk Seri Anwar is on a two-day visit to Russia, where he will meet Mr Putin on the evening of Sept 4 and brief media on Sept 5, according to his office.

The meeting will allow talks on a broad range of topics, from agriculture and food security to trade and investment, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"This visit will no doubt bring the best benefits to Malaysia, especially in strengthening cooperation as well as two-way ties between Malaysia and Russia," Mr Anwar wrote on social media platform X at the start of his two-day visit to the federation.

Mr Anwar follows in the footsteps of India's Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in meeting Mr Putin since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago.