MOSCOW, Aug. 18, 2026 — Myanmar President U Min Aung Hlaing and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday, discussing ways to deepen bilateral cooperation across a broad range of sectors, including defence and security, trade, energy, education, science and technology, and space cooperation.

The talks concluded with the signing and exchange of **12 memoranda of understanding and agreements** between the two countries.

U Min Aung Hlaing, who is in Russia on an official goodwill visit at Putin’s invitation, was welcomed by the Russian president at the Kremlin before the two leaders held a one-on-one meeting. They later joined an expanded session attended by ministers and senior officials from both sides.

During the meeting, Putin expressed sympathy for people affected by flooding in Myanmar and noted that diplomatic relations between Myanmar and Russia, established in 1948, had continued to develop. He also thanked Myanmar for its contribution to Russia-ASEAN cooperation and called for stronger bilateral engagement in international affairs, economic ties and security.

U Min Aung Hlaing said the visit was his first trip to Russia since being elected president. He thanked Putin for expressing concern over the flooding in Myanmar and also expressed appreciation for Russia’s deployment of rescue teams following the major earthquake that struck the Mandalay region last year.

He said Myanmar-Russia relations would remain strong over the long term and that Myanmar would continue to be a reliable partner of Russia in Southeast Asia.

The two leaders also discussed political developments and efforts toward internal peace in Myanmar, cooperation in combating online gambling and cyber-enabled financial fraud, coordination with regional countries and cooperation within ASEAN.

They exchanged views on expanding bilateral ties in defence and security, agriculture and livestock, industry, education, science and technology, space technology, healthcare and tourism.

During the expanded talks, ministers from both countries reviewed cooperation in education and healthcare, industrial production, energy, trade and the economy, science and technology, space science, maritime transport and other potential areas of collaboration.

Following the talks, the two sides signed a series of agreements and memoranda covering electricity, oil and natural gas, radio electronics and digital technology, cooperation between competition authorities, culture and the arts, and information and communications technology.

The package also included a joint statement on responding to the impact of unilateral coercive measures.

Several agreements focused on space cooperation, including satellite navigation, human spaceflight, the **COSPAS-SARSAT satellite-based search-and-rescue system**, the **ASPOS automated warning system for potentially hazardous situations in near-Earth space**, and broader cooperation in the space sector.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between the Myanmar Space Agency and the **Plekhanov Russian University of Economics**.

After the signing ceremony, U Min Aung Hlaing and Putin briefed the media on the outcomes of their talks and the agreements reached between the two countries.

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