Myanmar junta attempts to bolster ties with Russia

Myanmar's junta-appointed foreign minister has met with Russia's foreign minister in Moscow. Than Swe and Sergey Lavrov exchanged views on ways to strengthen bilateral relations between their countries.

Myanmar's state-run media has reported Than Swe sat down for talks with Lavrov on Thursday. The ministers discussed defense cooperation and trade. It is likely that they also spoke about events happening around their nations. The fighting between the military and pro-democracy forces in Myanmar and the war in Ukraine are among those events.

Russian media outlets say Myanmar received two Sukhoi 30 fighter jets from Moscow before the meeting.

Myanmar's military took power in a coup two years ago. It has been cracking down on pro-democracy forces and citizens since then. The country has become increasingly isolated from the international community as a result.