Русский
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Jarrah Al Sabah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait on October 18.
During the conversation, the ministers discussed the further development of traditionally friendly Russian-Kuwaiti relations and reaffirmed the mutual commitment of Moscow and Kuwait to maintaining an intensive political dialogue and strengthening advantageous trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
The parties exchanged views on the current topics on the international and regional agendas with an emphasis on the situation in the Persian Gulf area. They also underscored the need for searching ways of a speedy de-escalation of tension in that strategically important region. They stated that the persisting differences cannot be resolved other than through political and diplomatic efforts with unconditional respect for the interests of all countries of the region involved in the conflict.
The political ties between Russia and Kuwait are characterized by relatively close diplomatic ties, mutual visits, and growing, yet still modest cooperation in trade and investments. Both have maintained diplomatic relations for decades, with Kuwait being one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that prefers having close ties with Russia. Both also collaborate within the framework of OPEC+ (which includes OPEC members and non-OPEC oil-producing countries like Russia) to manage oil production levels and stabilize global oil prices.
All this is possible despite Kuwait’s own close security and military relations with the United State. Moreover, Kuwait and Russia often have similar positions on the conflicts in the Middle East by advocating a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, or the post-war Syria.
Russian companies are interested in opportunities in infrastructure development and real estate in Kuwait. Given global trends, Kuwaiti investors are exploring opportunities in Russia’s growing technology sector, including fintech, health tech, and e-commerce. Kuwaiti businesses are attracted to Russia’s oil and gas projects, including upstream exploration and development projects, considering Russia’s vast natural resources.
Kuwait has a wealthy petroleum-based economy and is one of the richest countries in the world, with the Kuwaiti dinar is the highest-valued unit of currency in the world. According to the World Bank, Kuwait is one of five nations with a GNI per capita above US$70,000. However, while Kuwait is currently the GCC region’s most oil-dependent country – it also has the weakest infrastructure and lowest share of economic diversification.
Russia-Kuwait Bilateral Trade
Both nations have focused on scaling up cooperation in energy projects, petrochemicals, agricultural and food exports, and joint investment mechanisms (such as potential participation via the Kuwait Investment Authority and the Roscongress Foundation).
Current Russia-Kuwait bilateral trade is valued at about US$1.7 billion, having grown in both 2025 and 2026. Kuwait exports electrical products to Russia, while Russia exports iron, copper and chocolate. Trade ties are likely to remain conservative however Kuwait does need to diversify its economy and wants to be associated with the BRICS group in one form or another.
