C T Online Desk: Russia and Vietnam pledged Thursday to deepen ties as President Vladimir Putin made a state visit aimed at bolstering his alliances to counter Moscow’s growing isolation over the war in Ukraine.
Putin travelled to Vietnam, a close ally of Moscow since the days of the Cold War, from a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un where he won a pledge of “full support” on Ukraine and signed a mutual defence pact.
The Russian leader did not receive such a clear public declaration of support in Hanoi, but Vietnamese President To Lam indicated a desire to boost defence cooperation.
“The two sides want to push up cooperation in defence and security, how to deal with non-traditional security challenges on the basis of international law, for peace and security in the region and the world,” Lam told reporters after talks with Putin.
Russia has been Vietnam’s main arms supplier for decades, accounting for more than 80 percent of imports between 1995 and 2023, but orders have dropped off in recent years as international sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict have intensified.
The two sides said in a joint statement that their defence and security cooperation was “not directed against any third country” and contributed to “peace, stabilty and sustainable development” in the region.
Lam and Putin signed around a dozen cooperation agreements ranging from education to justice and civil nuclear projects.
Putin told reporters the talks were constructive and that both sides had “identical or very close” positions on key international issues.
He said they discussed creating “an adequate and reliable security architecture in Asia-Pacific based on the principles of not resorting to force, and of resolving differences peacefully”.
Putin later held talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, the powerful general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, and laid a wreath at the memorial to independence leader Ho Chi Minh.
