Overview
- Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim arrived in Moscow and was greeted on the tarmac by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Russia’s chief of state protocol, according to broadcast footage.
- The visit comes at President Vladimir Putin’s invitation and was scheduled just before Russia’s May 9 Victory Day commemorations.
- The monarch is slated to attend the World War II victory events as a guest of honour, which signals a primarily ceremonial program.
- The South China Morning Post reports the stop is expected to help conversations on oil supply, after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Petronas would seek talks to buy Russian crude.
- The palace announced the journey on the king’s Facebook page, and it follows his January talks with Putin at the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg.