King Sultan Ibrahim Embarks on Historic State Visit to Russia

SUBANG:  His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, departed for Russia this morning for a historic state visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The official visit, scheduled from August 5 to 10, marks the first by a Malaysian Head of State since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations in April 1967.

His Majesty left the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang at approximately 8:55am aboard a special aircraft.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof were among the dignitaries who gathered to bid farewell to the King. Also in attendance were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

Other senior officials included Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, Chief of the Armed Forces General Tan Sri Mohd Nizam Jaffar, Royal Malaysian Air Force Commander General Datuk Seri Muhamad Norazlan Aris, and Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail.

Prior to departure, His Majesty received a royal salute from a guard of honor mounted by the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, accompanied by a 21-gun salute and the playing of the national anthem, Negaraku.

Sultan Ibrahim is expected to arrive in Moscow on Tuesday. A formal state reception will be held at the Kremlin on Wednesday, where he will meet President Putin and later attend a state banquet hosted in his honor.

Following his engagements in Moscow, Sultan Ibrahim will travel to Kazan on August 8. There, he is scheduled to meet the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, to explore potential cooperation in key sectors such as trade, investment, the halal industry, and agricultural technology.

Russia is Malaysia’s ninth-largest trading partner in Europe and ranks 28th globally. In 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached RM11.46 billion (USD2.48 billion). For the first half of 2025 (January–June), total trade was recorded at RM4.13 billion (USD945.7 million).

The visit is expected to further strengthen diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties between Malaysia and Russia.