(Al Jazeera Media Network) Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to Vietnam on Wednesday night after a day trip to North Korea, for a visit to an old ally that has positioned itself as an increasingly influential geopolitical player, wooed by most major nations.
The visit to Vietnam, among other things, is Russia’s way of showcasing that while Putin is treated as a pariah by the West, he still holds political clout in the East. Communist-led Vietnam will welcome Putin for a two-day visit, the Kremlin said.
The trip comes after the United States last week imposed more sanctions on Moscow and western countries reiterated their unwavering support for Ukraine – now fighting its third year of war against Russia – by agreeing to a $50-billion loan for Kyiv at a Group of Seven summit. The visit also comes days after last weekend’s Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland.
While North Korea, where Putin held meetings with leader Kim Jong Un on Wednesday, is itself a global outcast — heavily sanctioned by the United Nations over its nuclear and missile programs — Vietnam is a nation that other major countries want close ties with.
A rising economy and a leading exporter of garments, Vietnam today counts the US and other western countries as important partners. India is a growing defence partner. Vietnam is also a pillar of Southeast Asian efforts to balance ties with China — keeping strong economic ties with Beijing while pushing back against perceived military threats from the Asian giant.
That backdrop makes Vietnam a choice destination for the Russian leader. “Putin will hope his Vietnam visit signals that Russia is far from isolated in Asia amid its recent Ukraine war inroads,” said Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow at the Washington, DC-based Wilson Center. “Even though the visit has been pending for a while now and Moscow’s list of regional friends is quite short in practice.”
Putin and Vietnam’s leaders will hold talks on Thursday. Their dialogue is expected to focus on strengthening their strategic partnership. In 2001, Russia became the first country to sign a strategic partnership with Vietnam.
Regional and global issues will also feature on the agenda, the Russian state news agency TASS reported. Following the meeting, a joint statement will be adopted and a number of bilateral documents will be signed, it added.
Ties between the two countries date back to the Soviet Union, which was Hanoi’s biggest weapons supplier — a position that Russia today still occupies.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/19/why-is-russias-putin-visiting-vietnam-after-north-korea
