Who are Putin’s last remaining friends?

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has left Russia increasingly isolated on the international stage. The West imposed a raft of tough sanctions, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn Russia, and major companies started severing ties.

But the condemnation has not been universal. Australia, added to Moscow’s formal list of “unfriendly countries”, had an easy choice in fiercely opposing Russia (although the Morrison government was late to sanction oligarchs with ties to the resources sector). And while Beijing support of Russias has been far weaker than Putin may have hoped, other countries, for a range of historical and geopolitical reasons, have remained on the fence over the invasion. Listed by region, here are a few countries staying close to Putin.

Europe

With the exception of Putin-aligned Belarus, Europe has largely been staunchly opposed to the invasion. But the invasion has brought some tension for countries in eastern and central Europe that have spent years in Moscow’s orbit.

Hungary remains the one outlier from the European Union’s response, refusing to sanction Russian oil and gas, and continuing a nuclear power project with Russia. Far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orbán remains close to Moscow for both ideological and economic reasons.

Russia’s invasion was also awkward for Serbia. Aleksandar Vučić, the country’s genocide-nostalgic president, has tried to play both sides, pushing for membership of the EU while remaining close to Putin. When the war broke out, Serbia backed the UN resolution but refused to join the EU’s sanctions. Thousands joined a pro-Russia rally on the streets of Belgrade.

The origins of Serbian support are cultural and strategic. Both countries share Orthodox Christianity, and since Putin condemned NATO’s bombing of Serbian forces in response to ethnic cleansing in the late 1990s, that relationship has remained strong.

Asia and the Middle East

While the Morrison government is pursuing deeper security ties with India — a member of the Quad, along with Japan and the United States — New Delhi has been quiet on Putin’s invasion. Once again, the Russo-Indian relationship has its roots in history. While technically non-aligned, India has had deep Cold War relationships with the USSR since India’s independence, and still relies on Russia for weapons sales.

Putin likely thought he could rely on greater support from Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two becoming increasingly friendly in recent years. China hasn’t called the war an invasion, but is also not providing Moscow the support it could. Within China, there is reportedly growing opposition to Russia’s war. Notably, China also abstained from the UN resolution, rather than voting with Russia.

Middle Eastern countries have been divided. To the frustration of the United States, Washington’s friendly autocrats in the Gulf have been, shockingly, not very principled in their response to the invasion. The United Arab Emirates hosted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russia in his country’s civil war and Moscow’s best friend in the region. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, declined to condemn Russia’s actions, while the country’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with Putin. Saudi Arabia has resisted calls from the US to boost oil sales to compensate for a sanction-induced shortfall.

With the exception of Singapore, most countries in South-East Asia, which rely on Russia for weapons, have maintained a neutral stance to the conflict.

Africa

Many major African countries have been muted in their response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite condemnation from Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to call out Putin, and has blamed NATO for the war in Ukraine.

South Africa’s position also has some historical reasons dating back to the Soviet Union’s support for the ruling African National Congress during the anti-Apartheid struggle, as well as a deterioration of foreign policy capacity under successive governments.

Meanwhile, Eritrea was one of five countries to vote against the UN resolution condemning Putin.

Latin America 

In the days preceding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentinian President Alberto Fernández both visited Russia and met with Putin. Since then, Argentina has condemned the invasion, while Bolsonaro has vowed to stay neutral.

Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua remain some of Putin’s few allies, in a region where Russian trade and influence have been growing.