# Russia-Malaysia bilateral relations

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/russia-malaysia-bilateral-relations
> Updated: 2026-10-03T15:18:46.000Z. Sources: 17. Developments: 2.

During the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met to discuss strengthening bilateral relations. Putin expressed appreciation for the “friendly nature” of the ties between the two nations and noted that bilateral trade increased by 12.9 percent last year, a figure he described as “very encouraging.”

Discussions included an invitation for President Putin to conduct a state visit to Malaysia. Both leaders indicated that cooperation is expected to expand across various sectors, including education, science, technology, tourism, and security, as the two countries approach the 60th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year.

## Claims

- The 2026 event held at Sepang was the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. (disputed by 6 sources)
- Max Verstappen won the race at the Sepang International Circuit. (disputed by 4 sources)
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held discussions with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali regarding a permanent return of the Malaysian Grand Prix to the F1 calendar. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- The potential for a permanent F1 return in Malaysia will be reviewed by the Malaysian Cabinet. (corroborated by 4 sources)
- Kimi Antonelli finished second and Lewis Hamilton finished third in the race. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- A total of 261,000 people attended the race weekend at Sepang, breaking the previous all-time attendance record. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem stated that a return to F1 requires a credible five-year business plan. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-10-03: Malaysia hosts Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, explores permanent F1 return

Malaysia hosted the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, drawing over 261,000 fans. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has begun early talks with F1 leadership about a potential permanent return to the racing calendar.

16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/malaysia-seeks-to-expand-economic-cooperation-with-bahrain

### 2026-09-12: Russia and Malaysia discuss strengthening bilateral ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and trade, conveying greetings from Sultan Ibrahim.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/russia-and-malaysia-discuss-strengthening-bilateral-ties

---
Cite as: Russia-Malaysia bilateral relations. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/russia-malaysia-bilateral-relations