ASEAN Leaders to Meet Putin in Russia – Will Indonesia Join?
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Southeast Asian leaders within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold a commemorative summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia next June. The high-level meeting between the Southeast Asian bloc and Moscow has been confirmed to take place in Kazan, Russia.
Confirmation of this international agenda was directly communicated by a top Filipino diplomat via social media. Citing ABC News on Friday, 29 May 2026, Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Theresa Lazaro stated she had held direct phone talks with her Russian counterpart regarding the planned major meeting. “Spoke on the phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the ASEAN commemorative summit to be held in Kazan, Russia,” Lazaro wrote in her social media X post.
The Russian Embassy in Manila confirmed that ahead of the summit scheduled for 17-18 June, Lavrov and Lazaro discussed the prospects of expanding Russia’s strategic partnership with ASEAN. Other ASEAN members, besides the Philippines and Indonesia, include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Geopolitically, most ASEAN member states actually voted in favour of a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
Nevertheless, the regional bloc maintains good relations with Moscow as a dialogue partner and continues to involve Russian officials in annual high-level meetings.
This dynamic arises from the diverse political landscape among ASEAN nations, with some countries, such as the Philippines—which holds the rotating ASEAN chairmanship this year—being closely allied with the United States.
Conversely, other members have significant trade and security ties with China and Russia, with Vietnam and Laos abstaining from the UN resolution on the Ukraine attack.
Beyond security concerns, economic dependency is a strong reason for the region to maintain ties with Moscow. Several ASEAN members, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, have imported or expressed interest in purchasing Russian crude oil to secure domestic energy supplies after global fuel prices surged following US and Israeli strikes on Iran in February.
Regarding the presence of heads of state, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is confirmed to fly directly to Russia for the summit with Putin. This was confirmed by a Philippine government official speaking anonymously due to lack of authority to discuss the matter publicly with media. “President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will attend the summit with Putin,” the government official said, as cited by ABC News.
Although Marcos Jr. is confirmed to attend, participation from other ASEAN leaders remains uncertain. Singapore’s leader’s attendance is unconfirmed, given the wealthy island nation’s strong condemnation of Russia’s Ukraine invasion and imposition of economic sanctions against Moscow.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s leader, who currently serves as ASEAN’s coordinator for relations with Russia, is unlikely to be permitted to attend. ASEAN has banned military junta leaders from high-level meetings, including annual summits with Asian and Western nations, since Myanmar’s army overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic government in 2021, sparking a civil war.
Instead, only mid-level career diplomats are allowed to represent the country in international forums. This strict restriction is in place because the military government has failed to halt violence or foster peace talks, despite ASEAN leaders proposing a five-point peace plan in 2021 demanding an immediate ceasefire.