The sanctions imposed by the US and western countries sanctions against Russia because of the war in Ukraine were intended to turn Russia into an absolutely isolated country, but so far they are not giving the desired result.
The so-called "friendly countries" - for political, economic and ideological reasons - they do not intend to give up the opportunities that ties with Russia, more or less advertised, provide them.
In an increasingly fragmented world made up of rival countries, this relationship between Putin's Russia and other countries takes on multiple meanings. According to an analysis by Greg Sullivan and Anthony Halpin for Bloomberg, the countries are aligning themselves with Moscow to secure their interests and assert their positions in organizations such as BRICS.
Some are driven by pragmatic interests, focusing on energy, commercial or economic considerations. For others, military cooperation and weapons are at the heart of their ties with Moscow. In most cases, they share a common vision of the global world with Russia, and it is based on their desire to change the post-Cold War world order, in which the leading power is the United States.
Here are which countries "take out" Russia from isolation:
CHINA
China plays the role of a diplomatic and economic lifeline for Moscow. Russia is buying electronics, industrial equipment and cars while selling oil and gas to its Asian neighbors, albeit - as is the case with gas - at a discount to what it once earned from supplying Europe with the blue fuel.
Bilateral trade will reach a record $240 billion in 2023. Beijing is a partner that also shares the Kremlin's goal of challenging the US-led order and encroaching on Washington's spheres of influence
Furthermore, Russia and China are increasingly coordinating their positions at the UN Security Council, where both sides vetoed the US draft resolution on a Gaza ceasefire. Their military cooperation is also deepening and Russia has sold some of its most advanced weapons systems to China.
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia did its best not to condemn Russia after the start of the war. Putin also visited the kingdom in December in one of his rare trips abroad, showing that he is still welcome in some parts of the world.
Besides the OPEC+ partnership, Saudi Arabia is benefiting from Russian help to avoid its isolation. Putin was one of the few leaders to embrace Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the 2018 G20 meeting, two months after the killing of the Washington Post journalist. Jamal Khashoggi.
US President Joe Biden has changed course, having initially promised to isolate Riyadh after Khashoggi's assassination, and is now trying to strengthen the alliance between the two countries. But as Saudi Arabia's foreign policy is increasingly tied to economic interests, ties with Moscow will likely only deepen.
IRAN
Russia has reached out to Iran for drones to use in its war in Ukraine, and Russian and Iranian officials have discussed stepping up financial and banking cooperation to ease pressure from sanctions. Iran is looking to Russia for weapons, including air defense systems and fighter jets, to replace Tehran's aging equipment and is relying on Moscow to build the Bushehr nuclear power plant. Tehran has joined Russia in supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the war in Syria and shares Moscow's hostility to the American presence in the Middle East.
TURKEY
Putin juggles geopolitical rivalry with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Syria, Libya and the Caucasus region while promoting trade to his third-largest export market. Turkey has also become a key center for indirect imports of goods subject to sanctions.
Despite siding with Ukraine in the war, Erdogan has refused to join sanctions against Russia, which is an important gas supplier to Ankara. Turkey's tourism and agriculture rely heavily on the Russian market. Erdogan has also acted as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, helping to broker deals on grain supplies and prisoner exchanges.
INDIA
India, the world's third-largest consumer of crude oil, has been a major buyer of Russian oil at lower prices since the invasion of Ukraine. The tighter enforcement of US sanctions, which try to stem the flow of petrodollars to the Kremlin's coffers, has destabilized supplies to some extent. Relations with India lend legitimacy to Russia as it "courts" the so-called Global South.
Strong ties with Russia also provide a counterweight to other major world powers, helping India maintain its strategic autonomy.
SOUTH AFRICA
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to condemn Putin for the war or support UN resolutions condemning Moscow for the invasion. Both countries are BRICS members and this provides their leaders with an opportunity to interact regularly. Ramaphosa convinced Putin to skip last year's BRICS summit in Johannesburg and instead attend virtually, sparing Pretoria the need to decide whether to arrest him.
Although trade between Russia and South Africa is negligible, the two countries have long-standing historical ties that stem from the proactive stance taken by the Soviet Union against the dominant white minority power in the past. A number of senior members of the African National Congress sought asylum and received military training in Russia during apartheid. Russian companies were in the race to build new nuclear power plants in South Africa during former president Jacob Zuma's tenure, although plans have been frozen since Ramaphosa took office in 2018 due to high costs.
HUNGARY
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's government maintains close ties with Putin, with the Hungarian leader meeting his Russian counterpart in Beijing last October. It gave Putin an ally within the EU, which has variously blocked financial aid to Ukraine, threatened to derail talks on Kiev's accession to the bloc and even delayed Sweden's accession to NATO by more than a year.
Hungary is one of the few countries in the EU that still receives Russian gas, and the Russian nuclear company "Rosatom" maintains a leading role in the expansion of its only nuclear power plant.
NORTH KOREA
The growing friendship with Kim Jong-un has brought benefits to Russia. The US, South Korea and others say North Korea is sending massive amounts of artillery shells and short-range ballistic missiles.
In return, Russia is accused of supplying Pyongyang with food, raw materials and parts used in weapons production. Russia also vetoed a UN Security Council resolution to expand the panel of experts to report on the development of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.