One week from today, the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summit and related meetings – such as the ASEAN-Russia and East Asia Summit, which Russia will also attend – will begin, running from November 10-13 in Phnom Penh.

While many nations have confirmed the participation of their leaders such as the US, Japan, China and Vietnam, just to name a few, Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far not confirmed whether he will be present.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said on November 1 that Putin had been officially invited to the ASEAN-Russia and East Asia summits, but no response thus far.

Last week, the White House confirmed that President Joe Biden will attend the meetings on November 12-13. Biden’s specially designed limousine with a number of advanced security features for his protection already arrived in Cambodia on October 31.

“He [Biden] will go in that car wherever he travels. If President Putin comes as well, he may also use his personal car. That is their prerogative. But other leaders will use the car service we prepare. This is not a small meeting, although our country is poor,” Hun Sen said while addressing a graduation ceremony for over 6,000 law graduates.

Hun Sen said that thanks to the peace enjoyed by the Kingdom, world leaders know they are safe to attend the meetings as Cambodia has no terrorist attacks because of its “well-maintained security and social order”.

The premier also informed Phnom Penh residents that some important roads will be closed for public use as they are reserved for travel by the foreign delegations.

“Some roads will be closed to public use, not for the entire meeting, but only when the delegates come. I beg our people living in Phnom Penh for understanding for the interruption of their travel due to traffic jams.

“This is actually to honour and show respect to our friends who are coming to Phnom Penh to participate in the meetings,” he said.

Hun Sen just ended his post-flood tour of several provinces, but he said November will be another busy month for him due to the ASEAN meetings. He also noted that Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh would be early arrivals next week for official visits before the summit.

He also said that despite the upcoming summit he will still be accompanying King Norodom Sihamoni to observe Independence Day on November 9 and that he will also attend the G20 summit in Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Thailand.

Thong Mengdavid, a researcher with the Asian Vision Institute’s Mekong Centre for Strategic Studies, recalled that the ASEAN-Russia relations began in 1991, noting that Russia plays an important role as a balancing power for the geopolitical competition between the US and China, which plays out in part across the region.

However, since Russia’s invasion on Ukraine in February, ASEAN has been hesitant about embracing Russia as a trade or military partner, though the Myanmar military have notably good relations with Russia as both come under intense criticism and sanctions from much of the international community, particularly democratic western powers like the US and EU.

“If Russia come to the ASEAN meetings when the leaders of the US and China are here too, the meeting could become heated and it’s possible there will be a clash of words. So, as host, Cambodia must be highly prepared to calm down the situation and change the confrontational aspects of the meeting into a constructive dialogue,” Mengdavid said.

Hun Sen also met for talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via telephone on the afternoon of November 1.

He said ahead of the meeting that they would touch on advancing bilateral relations between ASEAN and Ukraine and the provision of grain supplies from Ukraine to other regions which could do much to ensure food security in the coming year.

“After food exports from Ukrainian ports were again suspended, what is the situation now? I will ask [Zelensky] about what is happening with the grain and the food export issue. We will ask him some things, he will have some questions for us. This is normal when leaders communicate,” he said.