M'sia-Russia ties to deepen with upcoming joint meeting, says Zambry
The Higher Education Minister said the meeting in November would, among other things, discuss proposals to expand scholarship programmes and developments in various initiatives under the JC-ESTC.
"Special focus will also be given to preparations for the Malaysia-Russia Mineral Resources Dialogue and the Higher Education Forum, two key platforms to be held concurrently with the JC-ESTC Meeting.
"These events are expected to bring together industry leaders, academics and researchers from both countries to enhance bilateral cooperation,' he said in a Facebook statement on Wednesday (June 4).
ALSO READ: Malaysia and Russia to expand cooperation in science, higher education
The meeting follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Russia last month, during which he tasked several ministries, including Higher Education, with following up.
Zambry said the plans were discussed during a courtesy call by Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Naiyl Latypov on Tuesday (June 3) evening.
"I believe that cooperation between Malaysia and Russia will continue to be explored to build more networks across various fields, thereby creating greater opportunities and successes for the people of both nations.
"The strong commitment shown by the Russian government, which also recognises Malaysia's education system as one of the best hubs in the region, underscores the need for local institutions of higher learning to continuously improve their performance,' Zambry added. – Bernama
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New Straits Times
15 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Trump dangles Ukraine security guarantees, risks backlash from own base
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump's newfound if vague willingness to entertain security guarantees for Ukraine could be a game-changer, but the US president's right-wing base is already warning him not to go too far. After a campaign last year spent bashing predecessor Joe Biden over billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, and Trump's public upbraiding of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February, Trump has considered promises to Kyiv to end the Russian invasion. He has ruled out ground troops as well as Nato membership, siding with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in blaming Ukraine's aspirations for the Western alliance for the February 2022 invasion. But after Trump welcomed Putin to Alaska on Friday, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said the Russian president had agreed to a "concession" of the United States offering "Article Five-like protection" for Ukraine, referring to Nato's binding promise that an attack on one is an attack on all. Some observers doubted Witkoff's understanding of Putin, noting that Moscow publicly has insisted on guarantees for Russia. But Trump has said "we'll give them very good protection" and has spoken of providing US airpower to enforce any agreement. Little is known about what US airpower would entail, but it could support a deployment of European troops to Ukraine mulled by France and Britain. If the United States agreed to enforce control of the Ukrainian skies, it would be an "incredible green light for greater ambition" by Europeans on security, said Kristine Berzina, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund. European leaders showed striking unity and solidarity by coming together to Washington on Monday to back Zelenskyy in talks with Trump, she said. "For there to be a meaningful difference on the ground in Ukraine, it can't just be diplomatic alignment. It can't just be the heads of state being in lockstep for a few days at a time," she said. "Instead, they have to be ready to actually move and to show to Trump, 'We have everything ready; we just need x from you to make this work.'" Trump, however, could also authorise a much smaller air deployment, such as one focused on reconnaissance that would see limited numbers of US planes in the Ukrainian skies. "President Trump said some things in his meetings with the European leaders and Zelenskyy and I am betting a huge sum of money that there are people around Trump who are going to spend a lot of time walking that back," said Debra Cagan, a former senior US policymaker now at the Atlantic Council. "What I mean by that is that they're going to try a very de minimis approach to security guarantees, to do as little as possible to carry that out," she said. She said that any successful strategy needed to have components on land and air as well as sea, including keeping the crucial Black Sea ports open for Ukraine. Trump retains a strong hold on the Republican Party, but has already seen some dissent within his hard-right base, which backed him in part for his dismissive attitude to foreign involvement. Outspoken Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who earlier criticised Trump for bombing Iran, said she believed voters would be "appalled" by more support for Ukraine as they struggle with day-to-day concerns. "America is broke," she told conservative host Megyn Kelly. "At some point we have to start saying no to the rest of the world." Trump-aligned Senator Tommy Tuberville said it would be an "impossible sell" to voters still shaken by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to start another long-term US military commitment, according to The Hill newspaper. Trump, however, has tried hard to portray the war as belonging to Biden and has spoken openly of his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize.


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Jailed French researcher faces Russian espionage charge, court says
French researcher Laurent Vinatier, who is suspected of illegally collecting sensitive Russian military information, sits inside an enclosure for defendants before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia October 14, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina (Reuters) -French researcher Laurent Vinatier, already jailed in Russia on charges of violating the country's "foreign agent" laws, now faces a new espionage charge, according to court documents cited by Russian news agencies. Vinatier was jailed for three years last October for failing to comply with laws requiring individuals deemed "foreign agents" to register and meet a number of stipulations. His appeal against the sentence was thrown out in February. The FSB security service had accused Vinatier of failing to register as a foreign agent in Russia while collecting military information of value to foreign intelligence services. Russian news agencies quoted documents from Moscow's Lefortovo Court as saying he would now be charged under espionage laws, without providing further details. A hearing was set for next Monday. Vinatier, 49, is one of several Westerners to have been charged under Russian security laws at a time of tense confrontation between Moscow and the West over the war in Ukraine. He told the court at his trial that he loved Russia and apologised for breaking the law. France said Vinatier had been arbitrarily detained and called for his release. President Emmanuel Macron denied that Vinatier worked for the French state and has described his arrest as part of a misinformation campaign by Moscow. Vinatier is an employee of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), a Swiss-based conflict mediation organisation. Fellow academics who know him told Reuters he was a respected scholar involved in legitimate research. (Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Sonali Paul)


The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Trump Ukraine security shift faces base backlash over vague promises
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's newfound and vague willingness to consider security guarantees for Ukraine represents a potential policy shift. His right-wing base is already warning him against moving too far from his previous isolationist stance. Trump spent much of last year's campaign criticising predecessor Joe Biden over billions in aid to Ukraine. He publicly upbraided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky back in February. Trump has now reportedly considered making promises to Kyiv aimed at ending the Russian invasion. He has firmly ruled out sending American ground troops or supporting NATO membership for Ukraine. Trump sides with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in blaming Ukraine's Western alliance aspirations for the 2022 invasion. Following Trump's meeting with Putin in Alaska, his envoy Steve Witkoff claimed a Russian concession. Witkoff stated the US might offer 'Article Five-like protection' for Ukraine, referencing NATO's mutual defence clause. Some observers immediately questioned Witkoff's interpretation of Putin's position. Moscow has publicly insisted it requires security guarantees for Russia, not Ukraine. Trump himself has said 'we'll give them very good protection' and mentioned providing US airpower. The specifics of what US airpower would entail remain largely undefined. It could potentially support a deployment of European troops to Ukraine being considered by France and Britain. US enforcement of Ukrainian air control would be an 'incredible green light for greater ambition' by Europeans, said Kristine Berzina of the German Marshall Fund. She noted the striking unity European leaders showed by backing Zelensky in Washington talks with Trump. 'For there to be a meaningful difference on the ground in Ukraine, it can't just be diplomatic alignment,' Berzina explained. 'It can't just be the heads of state being in lockstep for a few days at a time.' She added that European leaders 'have to be ready to actually move and to show to Trump, 'We have everything ready; we just need x from you to make this work.'' Trump could authorise a much smaller air deployment focused solely on reconnaissance. This would see only limited numbers of US planes operating in Ukrainian airspace. Former senior US policymaker Debra Cagan predicts Trump's team will try to walk back his statements. 'I am betting a huge sum of money that there are people around Trump who are going to spend a lot of time walking that back,' Cagan stated. 'They're going to try a very de minimis approach to security guarantees, to do as little as possible to carry that out.' She emphasised that any successful strategy needs land, air, and sea components, including keeping Black Sea ports open. Trump retains a strong hold on the Republican Party but faces dissent within his hard-right base. This base backed him largely for his dismissive attitude toward foreign military involvement. Outspoken Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said voters would be 'appalled' by more Ukraine support. 'America is broke,' Greene told conservative host Megyn Kelly. 'At some point we have to start saying no to the rest of the world.' Trump-aligned Senator Tommy Tuberville called it an 'impossible sell' to voters wary of long-term military commitments. Trump has worked hard to portray the war as belonging to Biden and openly desires a Nobel Peace Prize. Berzina suggested Trump could frame this to his base as 'about America keeping peace and not about America making war.' - AFP