Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim does have legitimate reasons to carry out his first visit to Russia. By doing so, however, he leaves himself open to criticism, says ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s Ian Storey.
Malaysia 's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Russia n President Vladimir Putin during their meeting on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia , on Sep 4, 2024. , his first ever, might serve Malaysia ’s interests. But as Russia continues to fight against Ukraine two years after its illegal invasion of the latter in 2022, he has left himself open to criticism of double standards.
He became the sixth Southeast Asian leader to meet Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 In Vladivostok, the Malaysian prime minister had nothing but praise for Putin and Russia. He applauded Putin for his “vision and leadership”, called Russia a “key partner” and proposed the two countries forge a “special relationship”.
Throughout his two-day visit, Anwar was mindful not to embarrass his host by bringing up the awkward topic of the Russia-Ukraine war, which continued to rage 7,000km away. When Russia invaded its southern neighbour in February 2022, the then leader of the opposition was one of the few Southeast Asian politicians to openly condemn Russia by name. In his first major foreign policy speech as prime minister, Anwar not only criticised the physical destruction Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had wrought but also the destruction of “principles and laws that took decades to build”.In January, BRICS accepted five new members and invited applications from other countries.
In Vladivostok, he not only accused the West of being immoral, but of applying double standards when it comes to Ukraine and Gaza. In contrast, he praised Russia for its stance over the conflict and its long-standing support for Palestinian statehood.
Anwar Ibrahim Russia Vladimir Putin Ukraine BRICS Israel-Hamas War
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