Russia-ASEAN Summit Raises Prospect of Min Aung Hlaing Meeting Regional Leaders

As Russia prepares to host the ASEAN-Russia Summit marking 35 years of relations, speculation is growing over whether Myanmar’s coup leader‑turned‑President Min Aung Hlaing will be invited. The speculation was further fueled after Russian Ambassador to Myanmar Iskander Azizov met regime Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe in Naypyitaw on Thursday to discuss multi-sectoral cooperation.

According to regime statements, the meeting touched on preparations for the upcoming summit and ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The high‑level gathering is scheduled for mid‑June in Kazan, Russia, with President Vladimir Putin instructing officials to invite ASEAN leaders and prepare for the opening ceremony, according to state-owned media. Myanmar is an ASEAN member but Min Aung Hlaing and his regime leadership have been barred from attending the bloc’s summits since 2021 for their failure to honor the grouping’s peace plan for the country, which has been devastated by Min Aung Hlaing’s 2021 coup.

Russia is a major arms seller to the regime. Min Aung Hlaing met Putin in 2022 and twice in 2025. At their first meeting, the Russian leader told Min Aung Hlaing that Myanmar is a “long-standing and reliable partner” of Moscow, emphasizing that Russia views the Myanmar military as a stable, historical ally in Southeast Asia and that the relationship would not be affected by its 2021 coup overthrowing the country’s elected government.

If Putin invites Min Aung Hlaing to the event, it would be the first international summit attended by the regime leader since he had himself installed as president through a rigged election held in December and January.

The newly rebranded “civilian” regime recently lashed out at ASEAN for excluding Min Aung Hlaing from its leaders’ summit, accusing the bloc of “discrimination” and denial of equal representation. Military supporters have echoed the regime’s stance, unleashing a barrage of criticism against ASEAN and calling on the regime to withdraw Myanmar from the bloc.

Against this backdrop, the possibility of meeting ASEAN leaders in Russia has drawn keen interest in Naypyitaw.

Although Min Aung Hlaing has been in office for just over a month, he remains shunned by the United States, Western governments and most ASEAN members. A trip to Russia would therefore represent his first overseas visit as president. Analysts note that Putin, given Moscow’s role as a key ally of the junta, is more likely than ASEAN leaders to extend an invitation.

Myanmar currently serves as ASEAN’s coordinator for dialogue relations with Russia (2024-27), a role that has already involved preparatory discussions for the 35th‑anniversary summit. Whether Min Aung Hlaing will attend remains uncertain, but his regime has made Russia a priority: over the past five years, he has visited Russia five times and met Putin three times—more meetings than he has had with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The potential invitation poses a severe diplomatic dilemma for ASEAN. The bloc continues to bar Myanmar’s generals from its summits over their blatant failure to implement the Five-Point Consensus peace plan and the regime’s ongoing military offensives.