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June 20, 2024 – 09:41
Vladimir Putin on Thursday began a state visit to Vietnam, to which Russia has been supplying weapons for decades, a day after signing a defense deal with North Korea that worries Westerners.
The Russian president thanked Vietnam for its “balanced” approach to Ukraine in an article published in the newspaper of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
Russia and Vietnam also share a “similar” reading of the situation in the Asia-Pacific, he stated.
The head of the Kremlin met around noon (0500 GMT) with his counterpart To Lam at the presidential palace, during a formal ceremony with cannon shots and soldiers, AFP journalists at the scene indicated.
Putin was in Pyongyang on Wednesday where his host Kim Jong Un greeted what he considers North Korea’s “best friend.” The two countries, united against American “hegemony,” closed a “global strategic partnership” that provides for mutual assistance “in the event of aggression” and a possible strengthening of “military-technical cooperation,” according to Putin.
The United States and its allies fear that this continued rapprochement could lead to new deliveries of North Korean munitions and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine.
Russian flags and an important security device were seen on the streets of Hanoi to receive Putin.
Russia continues to sell a large part of its weapons and military equipment to Vietnam, in a context of tensions in the South China Sea, where Hanoi is concerned about Beijing’s expansionist objectives.
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