Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to strengthen ties with his former partner Vietnam on a state visit this Thursday, amid the growing international isolation the Kremlin faces over its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin was received by dignitaries upon his arrival in Vietnamin Southeast Asia, from North Koreawhere signed an agreement with the North Korean leaderKim Jong-un, who promises mutual aid in case of war.
Both Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin described the agreement reached on Wednesday as a important improvement of bilateral relations, covering security, trade, investment, cultural and humanitarian ties. Outside observers said it could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
The North Korean Central News Agency offered details this Thursday about the language of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreementwhich has been sealed at a time when both countries face growing tensions and confrontations with the West.
The agency said that the article 4 of the agreement establishes that if one of the countries is invaded and pushed into a state of warthe other must deploy “all means at your disposal without delay” to provide “military assistance But it would also stipulate that such actions must be in accordance with the laws of both countries and Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognizes the right of a UN member state to self-defense.
Russia and Vietnam strengthen cooperation in strategic areas
Putin arrived at the Vietnamese Presidential Palace on Thursday afternoon (local time), where he was greeted by schoolchildren waving Russian and Vietnamese flags. There he shook hands and hugged the new president of Vietnam, To Lam. The day’s agenda also included meetings with the general secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most powerful politician, and other senior officials.
Russia wishes to maintain a “close and effective cooperation” in energy, industry, technology, education, security and trade, Russian ambassador to Vietnam Gennady S. Bezdetko said on Wednesday, according to official Vietnamese media.
An attempt to “break international isolation”
The trip has caused a harsh reprimand on the part of the U.S. Embassy in the country. Much has changed since Putin’s last visit to Vietnam in 2017. Russia now faces a series of sanctions promoted by the United States for its invasion of ukraine. In 2023, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin by war crimes. The Kremlin rejected it as “null and void,” emphasizing that Moscow does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.
Putin’s recent visits to China and now to North Korea y Vietnam are attempts to “break international isolation“, Dijo Nguyen Khac Giang, analyst del Instituto ISEAS-Yusof Ishak of Singapur.
The United States and its allies have expressed growing concerns about a possible arms deal in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with munitions for use in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could increase the threat posed by Kim Jong-un’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Both countries They deny accusations of arms transferswhich would violate multiple UN Security Council sanctions that Russia previously backed.
Why is Russia important to Vietnam?
Meanwhile, Russia is important to Vietnam for two reasons, according to Giang: it is the largest supplier of military equipment for the Southeast Asian country, and the Russian oil exploration technologies They help maintain their sovereignty claims in the disputed South China Sea.
“Russia is giving signs that it is not isolated in Asia despite the Ukraine war, and Vietnam is strengthening a key traditional relationship while diversifying ties with new partners,” said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Wilson Center’s Asia Program.
Hanoi and Moscow have maintained diplomatic relations since 1950, and this year 30 years have passed of one treated which states “Friendly relationships“between Vietnam and Russia.
