Has Malaysia’s Anwar bitten off more than he can chew with geopolitical pivot?

Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim can claim a rare feat during his recent four-day visit to Russia.

It was in Moscow where he managed to crack the usually stoic facade of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was amused by the prime minister’s reply to a question on who occupies one of three ceremonial thrones once used by Russia’s imperial family.

“Without even thinking, the prime minister said ‘for the second wife’,” Putin said with a rare chuckle under his breath during a widely broadcast joint news conference with Anwar.

The exchange drew equal parts mirth and embarrassment for folk back home, with some calling it a masterclass in breaking the ice in a typically officious setting, while others decried it as a diplomatic faux pass that diminished Anwar’s standing to that of a court jester.

Whichever way you see it, the levity did not detract from the weight of the visit – a reflection of Anwar’s careful pivot as Malaysia seeks to navigate intensifying global rivalries and growing trade uncertainty.

The Moscow trip – Anwar’s second since taking office in 2022 – comes as Putrajaya scrambles to diversify exports and shield its economy from the sweeping tariffs US President Donald Trump is expected to impose as early as July.

  

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