Putin, ASEAN leaders back deeper strategic partnership at Kazan summit

Moscow,UPDATED: Jun 19, 2026 08:28 IST

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday hailed Russia's ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as leaders at a summit agreed to further expand the "strategic partnership" between Moscow and the regional bloc. The meeting in Kazan marked the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations.

The summit focused on global and regional issues, the progress in Russia-ASEAN ties, and areas for future cooperation. Putin also held a series of bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders during the event, which he co-chaired with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, whose country holds the association's rotating presidency.

Leaders taking part in the summit included representatives of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam. Putin said, "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 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". 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".

The declaration said the Kazan summit marked a "significant milestone" in Russia-ASEAN relations, and leaders pledged to maintain top-level contacts to advance their strategic partnership. Some of ASEAN's diverse member countries, including the Philippines, are seen to be aligned with the United States, while others have heavy trade and security engagements 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. Overall, the summit underlined both sides' push to widen political and economic cooperation and keep up high-level engagement.

With PTI Inputs

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