Myanmar’s junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing is in Moscow for a conference and receiving the Russian defence minister said Russia is seeking further military cooperation.
“We are determined to strengthen our ties based on the mutual understanding, respect and trust that the two countries have,” said Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu.
The general figurehead of the February 1 military coup ousted the democratically elected government leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Mass protests against the coup have been brutally crushed, and Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders have been jailed.
Russia expressed in March that it was deeply concerned about the number of civilians killed in the protests.
But Russia has increased ties with Myanmar, especially in military cooperation and through the sale of Russian weapons to the regime in Myanmar. Many Western countries still refuse to sell weapons to that country.
The opposition in the Southeast Asian country hopes that international isolation of the regime will force the junta to its knees.