 | |
 Micronesia |  Russia |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| No mission | Russian ambassador to the Philippines (1999–2022) |
| Envoy | |
| None | Marat Pavlov (last) |
Diplomatic relations between theFederated States of Micronesia (FSM) andRussia began in March 1999. Prior to February 2022, relations were cordial with economic trade established; in that month however, the FSM severed ties with Russia overits invasion of Ukraine. It became the second country to sever ties with Russia, after Ukraine itself.
AfterWorld War I, theEmpire of Japan took control of the islands, which had been a German colony, as part of theSouth Seas Mandate.[1] After Allied victory over Imperial Japan in World War II, the islands of Micronesia became aTrust Territory of the Pacific Islands, administered by the United States (US).[2][3] The creation of the United States Commercial Company in July 1947 to oversee imports and exports from Micronesia resulted in the exclusion of Japanese and Soviet trade with the islands.[4]
The United States did not attempt to annex the islands, in part to pressure the Soviet Union, an Allied power that emerged as a post-war rival, toreturn theKuril Islands to Japan after the war.[5] The Soviet Union criticized US military outposts in Micronesia as colonialism, and in 1965 put forward a successful resolution in the UN's General Assembly calling upon "colonial powers to dismantle their military bases in their colonies". This was never put into practice for US military bases in the modern-day FSM, and the US military refused to provide the UN's Special Committee with information about Micronesian bases.[6]
During the subsequentCold War between the US and the Soviet Union, Micronesia remained an Americantrustee. Their status as a trustee gave other nations some degree of oversight via the United Nations. The Soviet Union vetoed US attempts to grant independence while maintaining American military bases on the islands until 1990, when all 13 members of the United Nations Security Council, including the Soviet Union, voted to abolish the trusteeship. Micronesia remained in its existingCompact of Free Association with the US.[7]
In 1999, diplomatic ties were established, but Russia has never had an embassy in Micronesia.[8] Beginning around 2010, Russia began making a stronger effort to extend influence into the Pacific, including Micronesia.[9] TheRussian ambassador to the Philippines acted aschargé d'affaires for Micronesia, with theRussian Foreign Ministry hosting frequent meetings with thePacific island nations.[10] From 2010 to 2015, Nikolay Kudashev served as anon-resident ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Philippines.[11] He was succeeded by Igor Khovayev, who served as ambassador to the four Pacific nations from 2015 to 2020.[12]
Economic trade included Russia exportingrefined petroleum to the FSM ($8,610 in October 2018) and importingmotor vehicle parts and accessories in return ($508 in February 2021).[13] During theseventy-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019 in New York City, Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov highlighted cooperation between Russia and several Pacific Islands countries, and said that Pacific diplomatic personnel (including Micronesians) were taking courses at theMoscow State Institute of International Relations.[14]
According to international law professor Joanna Siekiera, interest in Pacific natural resources from Russia, China, and Japan have led to greater cooperation and solidarity among thePacific Islands Countries and Territories, including the FSM.[15]
When Russia launched alarge-scale invasion ofUkraine on 24 February, further escalating theRusso-Ukrainian war,[16][17] PresidentDavid Panuelo was travelling fromPohnpei State toYap State. He decided to suspend and sever relations between FSM and Russia that day, citing the FSM's recognition of Ukraine's right to defend its sovereignty. The FSM was the second country to cut ties with Russia because of the war, after Ukraine itself.[18] Panuelo had previously discussed the potential response with his cabinet members, who had considered it likely that Russia would invade.[19] The message conveying the severance of relations called the invasion "unambiguously villainous" and emphasised the FSM's commitment to respectful diplomacy.[20][21]
In response to the decision, Russian press secretaryMaria Zakharova said that the U.S. want(ed) to use Micronesia "to protectNeo-Nazism in Ukraine and theNazi regime in Kiev."[22] Panuelo responded that the FSM would restore relations with Russia "when (the Russian Federation) demonstrates actionable commitments to peace, friendship, cooperation and love in our common humanity",[23] reiterating the FSM's alliance with the U.S. and commitment to supportingNATO.[23] In March 2022, Panuelo wrote a letter toXi Jinping, askingChina to mediate for a ceasefire and withdrawal ofRussian troops from Ukraine.[24] Meanwhile, the Russian government included the Federated States of Micronesia on its "unfriendly countries and territories list".[25][26][27]
Panuelo expressed admiration for Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, noting that if the FSM had the resources to send aid, he would have done.[19] Panuelo later criticized Russia in a speech at the United Nations.[28] Panuelo's successor,Wesley Simina, has maintained the FSM condemnation of Russia, expressing solidarity with Ukraine.[29] Despite the severance of diplomatic ties, as of 2025, Russian citizens could still freely travel to Micronesia without a visa.[30]
The concept of federalism in Micronesia can be traced to 1946 when the United States saw complete annexation, with Guam as the capital, as the best option for the political status of the region. However, during the closing weeks of World War II, the Soviet Union occupied a few of the Japanese northern-most islands, and held them as war spoils. The United States wanted the Soviet Union eventually to return the islands to Japan, and so quickly abandoned its plan for the total annexation of Micronesia, realizing that the Soviets could easily use such annexation as a precedent against the United States. These islands, however, continue to be held by Russia.
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