President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday praised Russia’s developing ties with Myanmar, during a visit by the Asian country’s junta chief to its key ally.
Russia is a crucial arms supplier to the isolated state, which is struggling to quell violent opposition to the junta’s military rule.
“The relations between our countries are steadily developing,” Putin told junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in a televised meeting at the Kremlin.
“We have great potential,” he said, hailing growing trade ties.
Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a 2021 coup, saluted Putin as a “king” and backed Moscow’s full-scale military offensive on Ukraine.
“I believe that victory must be yours under your strong and decisive leadership,” he told Putin.
Both countries are under heavy Western sanctions — Myanmar following the 2021 coup and Russia after its 2014 annexation of Crimea and its ongoing three-year-long offensive on Ukraine.
Russia exports some raw materials and fertilizers to Myanmar, and both sides have talked up the prospect of deepening economic ties alongside their military and political alliance.
Meeting the Myanmar delegation earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Moscow saw potential to boost cooperation in energy, nuclear, transport, agriculture and telecoms projects.
Moscow’s support has become vital to Myanmar’s military — particularly the air force — as it battles an array of ethnic minority armed groups and pro-democracy guerrillas on multiple fronts.
The junta suffered significant territorial losses after a 2023 rebel offensive but its air power has been pivotal to arresting the advance of opposition forces.
Russia has sought to boost relations with anti-Western governments, particularly in Asia and Africa, since ordering troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
