Marcos Departs for Kazan ASEAN-Russia Summit With Putin to Discuss Food and Energy Security

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. left Manila for Kazan, Russia to participate in the ASEAN–Russia Commemorative Summit, where he is expected to discuss food and energy security and other issues during a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Concurrent with the G7 summit, which is continuing its work in the French city of Évian, where European countries approved a new round of sanctions on Russia over its war with Ukraine, Kazan, the capital of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, is preparing to host the Russia-ASEAN summit, whose agenda will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of relations between them”

Al-Jazeera Net

Marcos said it is his first time on Russian soil—50 years after his father, then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., visited the then-Soviet Union in 1976—and he said the visit “opened an enduring chapter in Philippines-Russia relations grounded in mutual respect, dialogue, and cooperation – one that we continue to build upon today.”

Al-Jazeera Net

The summit is framed as marking 35 years of ASEAN–Russia cooperation, with Manila and Moscow having marked 50 years of diplomatic ties established on June 2, 1976.

A Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement said the summit will review progress under the Asean-Russia Strategic Partnership and explore new areas of practical cooperation, including trade and investment, energy, food security, the digital economy, science and technology, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Star reported that outcome documents expected to be adopted include the Kazan Declaration and a new Comprehensive Plan of Action to implement the Asean-Russia Strategic Partnership from 2026 to 2030.

Russia’s permanent representative to ASEAN, Yevgeny Zagaynov, told RIA Novosti that “It is militarizing it,” arguing that Moscow is watching “a dangerous accumulation of conflict potential” across a region that has avoided open military alignments like those defining Europe and the Middle East.

Zagaynov said some ASEAN countries “are trying to get involved” and that the region “is being actively pumped with Western weapons,” while the Russia-ASEAN commemorative summit dedicated to the 35th anniversary opens in Kazan on June 18 with Putin attending.

GMA Network

The Eastern Herald described the Kazan summit as Russia’s bid to insert itself as the defender of an ASEAN-centric security model, while it framed the timing against AUKUS and deepening bilateral defense arrangements.

In parallel, the Al-Jazeera Net account tied the summit’s timing to Western pressure, saying Moscow, through the “commemorative summit,” seeks to explore prospects for cooperation and strengthen partnerships in energy, security, technology and other fields.

Al-Jazeera Net also stated that Zelenskiy is set to participate in a private morning session dedicated entirely to discussing developments in the Ukrainian file as international efforts accelerate to contain the war and push the political process toward a final settlement.

Vietnam+ reported that a Russian economist, Rinas Vasiliovich Kashbraziev, wrote ahead of the event that the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit could create additional opportunities for Russia to expand economic engagement with fast-growing markets in Southeast Asia.

“Comment Xi Jinping renforce ses liens avec la Russie de Poutine Ces derniers mois, le dirigeant chinois Xi Jinping a tenté de prendre ses distances de façon publique vis-à-vis de Moscou, alors que la Russie a subi des défaites dans sa guerre contre l’Ukraine”

l'Opinion

Kashbraziev said foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into ASEAN rose 8% year-on-year to 226 billion USD in 2024, and he argued that ASEAN’s institutional characteristics could create more opportunities for Moscow to access new markets beyond the Western sphere.

The same Vietnam+ report said trade between Russia and ASEAN reached 18.1 billion USD in 2024, up 13.2% from the previous year, while Russia’s investment in ASEAN countries increased by 20.8%.

It also said new agreements are expected to be signed at the summit this year in areas including trade, investment, energy, transport and logistics connectivity, digital economy, scientific and technological cooperation, tourism, and payment and settlement infrastructure.

In a separate account, Al-Jazeera Net said the summit is expected to adopt four concluding documents, including a comprehensive action plan to implement a strategic partnership for 2026-2030, as Russia seeks to develop new strategic plans amid European sanctions packages.