Putin's Asia Strategy

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has upended global geopolitics — and its ripple effects have reached deep into Southeast Asia. How has the Kremlin’s “pivot to Asia” evolved under Vladimir Putin and has Russia been able to advance its economic and geopolitical interests in Southeast Asia? How did regional states react to Russian aggression against Ukraine and what explains their differing responses to the invasion? In this book launch event, Dr Ian Storey discusses his new book Putin’s Russia and Southeast Asia: The Kremlin’s Pivot to Asia and the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War, exploring Russia’s strategic aims, energy diplomacy, and defence ties in the region. How resilient are these relationships in the face of war, sanctions, and shifting alliances? And what does this mean for Southeast Asia’s future place in a fragmenting world order? Recorded on 25th November, 2025.