From M.Saraswathi
NEW DELHI, Sept 12 (Bernama) -- “It was a great meeting. The rest for tomorrow,” Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The 20-minute bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit here in the Indian capital.
Russia is a founding member of BRICS, while Malaysia is here on its capacity as a partner country.
The meeting with Putin was Anwar’s first bilateral upon arrival in New Delhi.
Hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Summit carries the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a focus on strengthening resilience, economic cooperation as well as trade and investment reforms.
Malaysia and Russia have maintained longstanding diplomatic relations since 1967, with cooperation spanning trade and investment, energy, education, tourism, defence and other areas.
In 2024, total ASEAN-Russia trade amounted to US$18.1 billion, while Russian foreign direct investment in ASEAN totalled RM367.90 million (US$92.97 million).
For Malaysia, Russia was the country's ninth-largest trading partner among European nations in 2025, with total trade was valued at RM8.72 billion (US$2.04 billion).
Malaysia’s primary exports to Russia included electrical and electronic products, machinery, equipment and parts, and processed food, while principal imports consisted of petroleum products, minerals, chemicals and chemical-based products.
-- BERNAMA