Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin late on Friday night on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.

The meeting began around 11 p.m. and was described as friendly, providing an opportunity to assess the progress of Malaysia-Russia relations and to establish concrete steps to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

Anwar Ibrahim emphasised the need to accelerate efforts to realise direct flights between Malaysia and Russia, alongside visa-free travel facilities as previously agreed. He noted that such measures would boost tourism, trade, and investment between the two nations.

He also proposed the establishment of a special mechanism to coordinate and accelerate the implementation of all agreements, a proposal that was agreed to by President Putin.

The Malaysian leader expressed appreciation for Russia’s support in joint energy cooperation with Malaysia. He highlighted that both countries possess strengths and expertise that can be combined to expand collaboration in this strategic sector for mutual benefit.

Discussions also touched on increasing Malaysian palm oil exports to the Russian market and exploring efforts to double the value of bilateral trade. Anwar Ibrahim stressed that every agreement reached must be promptly translated into implementation, reinforcing the importance of the proposed mechanism.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Anwar Ibrahim reiterated the invitation from Malaysia’s King, Yang di-Pertuan Agong, for President Putin to undertake a State Visit to Malaysia. He expressed confidence that such a visit would open a new chapter in the increasingly close, mature, and mutually beneficial Malaysia-Russia relationship.

Anwar Ibrahim arrived in New Delhi late on Friday and was welcomed by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

The ministry highlighted India’s longstanding ties with Malaysia, marked by growing cooperation across trade, investment, digital economy, defence, and security. It noted that Ibrahim’s visit builds on the momentum of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier visit to Malaysia this year.

BRICS has emerged as a key platform for coordinating economic policy among major emerging economies. It serves as the principal forum where these nations shape common positions on global governance.

Through sustained dialogue, BRICS has become a channel for advancing the interests of the Global South within multilateral institutions. Its agenda spans development, finance, technology, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

The grouping reflects the growing economic weight and aspirations of emerging economies globally, providing members with a platform to share experiences and address common challenges.

ANI