Kuwait–Russia relations

Kuwait–Russia relations

Kuwait	Russia

Embassy of Kuwait in Moscow

Kuwait–Russia relations is the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Kuwait and Russia. Russia has an embassy in Kuwait City, and Kuwait has an embassy in Moscow.

Soviet-era relations

Kuwait gained independence from the United Kingdom on 19 June 1961, and applied for membership of the United Nations. The Soviet Union vetoed the admission of the newly independent State on 7 July 1961. Kuwait again applied for membership in November 1961, and again the Soviets vetoed the admission of the country in the United Nations Security Council, based on an argument that Kuwait was not yet fit to be seen as an independent State, and also due to their opinion that the 1961 treaty with the United Kingdom submitted the Gulf State to foreign political influence. The Soviet attitude towards Kuwait was ultimately guided by its cordial relations with Iraq, which had long held territorial ambitions towards Kuwait. When the Iraqi leader Abd al-Karim Qasim was overthrown in a coup d'état on 8 February 1963, Moscow's relations with Baghdad deteroriated, leading to a warmer attitude towards Kuwait. This led to the two countries establishing diplomatic relations on 11 March 1963. Kuwait saw the establishment of relations as an insurance policy, of sorts, against new Iraqi territorial ambitions, and Russia saw the relationship as a bridge between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. In the years that followed, relations between the Soviet Union and Kuwait were not always cordial, which was exemplified by Premier of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev making disparaging remarks towards the Kuwaiti leadership whilst on a state visit to Egypt in March 1964. Relations began to improve when Leonid Brezhnev became the Soviet leader in October 1964, however, relations did not become more cordial until the latter part of the 1970s. The Soviets supported the Kuwaiti's nationalisation of its oil industry, and the two countries shared similar views on foreign policy issues, in particular in relation to the Arab–Israeli conflict. Kuwait appreciated Soviet support for the Palestinians, and after the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, the country began to support Soviet proposals in the Persian Gulf after recognising that the Soviet presence in the Gulf was of a stabilising nature, and also as Moscow acted as a guarantor against Iraqi or Iranian aggression. This led to Kuwait actively lobbying members of the Gulf Cooperation Council to established diplomatic relations with the Soviets, ending the diplomatic isolation of the superpower amongst the countries on the Arabian Peninsula.

Russian Federation relations

On 28 December 1991, Kuwait recognised the Russian Federation as the successor state to the Soviet Union.