Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart, To Lam, and said he is ready to supply Vietnam with fossil fuels and natural gas during a state visit on Thursday.
Putin visited Vietnam as Moscow faces international isolation over its military actions in Ukraine.
The Russian leader and President To Lam agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as education, science and technology, in the field of gas and oil research, as well as in health. Russia and Vietnam also agreed to work on a roadmap for a nuclear and scientific ecology center in Vietnam.
Of the 12 agreements that were made public, none of them are related to defense. But, Lam said that there are other agreements which were not made public.
He went to Vietnam from North Korea, where with the leader of this country, Kim Jong Un, he signed an agreement according to which Pyongyang and Moscow pledge to help each other in case of any war.
After the talks, Putin and that Russia and Vietnam are interested in “developing a reliable security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific region, where there is no place for “closed political-military blocs”.
He added that both countries want to “deepen cooperation in defense and security, to face non-traditional security challenges”.
Putin arrived at Vietnam’s Presidential Palace on June 20, where he was greeted by schoolchildren holding Russian and Vietnamese flags.
Putin’s visit to Vietnam has provoked a strong reaction from the American Embassy in this country.
Much has changed since Putin’s last visit to Vietnam in 2017. Russia now faces sanctions from the West, including the US, over its invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin on charges of war crimes. The Kremlin denies the accusations and has emphasized that Moscow does not recognize the jurisdiction of this court.
Hanoi and Moscow have had diplomatic relations since 1950, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of the treaty for “friendly relations” between Vietnam and Russia.
Vietnam has also remained neutral regarding the Russian occupation of Ukraine. But this neutrality has been difficult for the state, as the US Embassy in Hanoi has criticized Putin’s visit saying that “no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and allow to normalize his atrocities”.
If Putin is allowed to travel freely “this could normalize serious violations of international law,” the US Embassy said.
Meanwhile, trade relations between Russia and Vietnam were worth $3.6 billion in 2023, and $171 billion with China and $111 billion with the United States.
Since 2000, Russia has accounted for about 80 percent of Vietnam’s arms imports. In recent years these imports have declined due to Vietnam’s efforts to diversify supplies.
