Russia’s President Putin has met with the Laos President and a full senior government and business delegation in Moscow. The two sides are looking at ways to increase bilateral trade and solutions to Laos’ energy shortage problems, with oil and gas supplies likely to be sent via Vietnam. Bilateral trade doubled in 2025.
Russia is enhancing its marine section of the INSTC to better support transport and logistics links to Iran, with the Volga-Caspian route undergoing substantial improvements to better connect Russia’s southern Urals regions with markets in the Middle East. We provide a detailed overview of these extensive development plans.
Russia’s President Putin gave a detailed speech on May 9 (Victory Day) in which he discussed his thoughts and Russia’s strategy as concerns its immediate direction towards the Global South. He commented specifically about Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia and China as well as Europe, and how he sees global developments pan out. This article will be of interest to all Russia-watchers, geostrategic analysts as well as politicians in the West and Global South.
Russian Oligarchs are now investing in primary targeted areas in the Russian economy and supply chains where previous reliance on Western imported products has now been shown to be unwise. We showcase an example within the agricultural support sector in the Bashkortostan Republic, within European Russia.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has summoned the Ambassadors of all Latin American and Caribbean countries to meet in Moscow where the coordination of regional geopolitical efforts were discussed as well as mutual humanitarian support for Cuba given the US blockade of essential supplies to the country.
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The CAREC group of Central Asian nations is to expedite their regional comprehensive and transparent regional cooperation mechanism to facilitate cross-border trade and investment. These will link with Russian and Chinese digital logistics networks to the east and west and further enhance multilateral, Eurasian trade efficiencies.
The United States has effectively sanctioned Russia out of the European lubricants and engine oil markets by insisting that Gazprom Neft sell its stakes in Serbia’s NIS. This will make Europe more dependent on alternative American sourced products typically costing four to five times more.
Russia’s Far Eastern Railway has reported a 3.4% increase in cargo during 4M 2026 after a decline in 2025. Shipments of coal, oil and petroleum, iron and manganese ore, non-ferrous ores and sulfur all increased.
Russia has begun exporting aluminium to Armenia via rail and Azerbaijan transit in signs that bilateral relations between the two South Caucasus nations is returning to normality after years of hostility.
Russian and South Sudanese energy officials and investors have met to discuss requirements and opportunities in South Sudan, whose economy is mainly energy based across multiple sectors. The country has the potential to become a Central African energy hub.
Kazakhstan is having to redirect oil exports flows away from Germany due to Ukrainian refusals to open the Druzhba pipeline to the EU. Supplies are instead being redirected to Russia and the Caspian states. Kazakhstan has been supplying about 2.5% of Germany’s total annual oil imports, with the current situation increasing more pressure on Germany’s fragile economic state.
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