Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is due to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin later on August 18, on his first visit to Moscow since taking office in April following a widely criticised election.

According to The Business Times, the Kremlin said the two leaders will discuss closer co-operation and regional and international issues, with several agreements expected to be signed. Myanmar’s President Office said the talks will cover the economy, security and social affairs.

Russia is one of the few major countries to have maintained close ties with Myanmar’s military rulers since the 2021 coup. Much of the West has instead isolated the government.

The relationship spans nuclear technology and defence. Myanmar is working with Russia’s Rosatom State Corporation to build a small nuclear power plant. The project is intended as an initial step towards using nuclear technology in health, agriculture and industry.

Russia has also been a major supplier of advanced weapons to Myanmar’s military. It supplied more than $400mn worth of weapons after the coup, according to a United Nations report published in May 2023.

The Moscow meeting is the latest in a series of overseas visits by Min Aung Hlaing as he seeks greater acceptance for his government following the disputed election.

He has now travelled to China, India, Laos and Thailand since Myanmar’s military-backed parliament selected him as president. His administration has also sought to improve relations with the US and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, while rejecting calls to release ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A high-level Myanmar delegation, including several ministers and the head of the Myanmar Space Agency, arrived in Moscow on August 17.

Min Aung Hlaing is also due to meet Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house. He will attend the Myanmar-Russia Business Forum as part of the visit.

The delegation’s composition points to a broadening of bilateral ties beyond defence. Nuclear technology, space and economic co-operation are among the areas being pursued by the two countries.