Putin hails Russia-ASEAN ties as Kazan summit expands strategic partnership

Moscow,UPDATED: Jun 18, 2026 18:08 IST

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised Moscow's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as he hosted a summit aimed at deepening economic and political links with the regional bloc.

At the meeting in Kazan, leaders agreed to further expand the "strategic partnership" between Russia and ASEAN, whose members include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam. The summit marked the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations.

"It is a strategic partnership that serves as an essential stabilising factor in the Asia-Pacific amidst geopolitical turbulence, contributing to the formation of a balanced security architecture and equitable mutually beneficial cooperation," Putin said. He said Russia and ASEAN had "expanded the scope of practical cooperation in such areas as combating new security challenges and threats, as well as trade and investment, energy, agriculture, digitalisation, science and technology, tourism, and humanitarian contacts".

The summit agenda included an exchange of views on global and regional issues, a review of efforts to develop Russia-ASEAN ties, and discussions on future areas of cooperation. In a declaration signed at the summit, participants reaffirmed their shared aspiration towards a "just multipolar world as guided by international law and the principles of the UN Charter to promote mutual benefit and respect for all states". They also described the Kazan summit as a "significant milestone" in Russia-ASEAN relations and pledged to maintain top-level contacts to advance their strategic partnership.

Putin also held a series of bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders during the summit, which he co-chaired with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose country holds the association's rotating presidency. Some ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, are seen as aligned with the United States, while others have extensive trade and security ties with China and Russia. Several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, have either imported Russian crude oil or expressed interest in buying it after global fuel prices rose in the wake of the war in Iran.

The summit ended with Russia and ASEAN reiterating their intent to broaden cooperation across sectors and keep up high-level engagement as part of their strategic partnership.

With PTI Inputs

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