“I replied, ‘That’s your issue; don’t instruct us. We are an independent, sovereign country; we make decisions for our people and our nation’,” Anwar said at a meeting with students at the National Defence University (UPNM) in Kuala Lumpur today.

Anwar said his response to the US was made at a meeting with secretary of state Antony Blinken last month at the Asean Summit in Laos. He said they spent an hour discussing the Middle East conflict and investment opportunities.

Putrajaya’s relationship with Moscow has been boosted by Anwar’s two-day working visit to Russia in September, during which he held a bilateral meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Anwar described their discussion as “deep, wide-ranging and productive”, adding that Russia is seen as a key partner for Malaysia as the country works towards diversifying its strategic relationships.

Ties between Washington and Moscow have reached their lowest point since the Cold War after Russia invaded parts of Ukraine.