Second stop in Asia

Trade, weapons, Ukraine: Putin now in Vietnam

Putin in front of a bust of the Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman Ho Chi Minh. In terms of time in office, the Kremlin leader has already caught up with the Marxist, who determined the fate of his country as prime minister and president for a quarter of a century (1945-1969).

(Bild: AP/Kristina Kormilitsyna)

Following his visit to North Korea, Russian President Vladimir Putin has traveled on to Vietnam. He arrived early on Thursday morning (local time) for a state visit to the Southeast Asian country, which has been an ally of Russia since Soviet times.

At the start of his talks in Hanoi, Putin met with Vietnamese President To Lam. The expansion of the strategic partnership with Vietnam is a priority for Russia, said the Kremlin leader, who is visiting the country with its almost 100 million inhabitants for the fifth time.

Vietnam's president praises Russia's "domestic political stability"
Putin announced investments by Russian companies in Vietnamese liquefied natural gas projects and invited the Vietnamese president to Moscow next year to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory over Hitler's Germany. Lam congratulated his guest on his re-election and praised Russia's achievements, such as "domestic political stability".

The flowery welcome from host To Lam brought a smile to Putin's face.

(Bild: AP/Nhac Nguyen)

Vietnam should buy weapons from Russia
Experts expect Putin to urge Vietnam to buy weapons from Russia. At the same time, he wants to show that he is not isolated internationally despite the war of aggression against Ukraine. The Ukrainian ambassador in Hanoi, Olexander Haman, told dpa that he did not expect Vietnam to abandon its neutral stance on the war and support Russia. It is one of the principles of Vietnamese security policy not to take sides, he said.

"Strategic fortress": solidarity with North Korea renewed
The first stop on Putin's trip to Asia was North Korea, where he explicitly sought support in the war in Ukraine. According to Western intelligence, Russia is buying ammunition and weapons in the isolated communist country.

What is less clear is what technical assistance Russia is providing North Korea in return. This is viewed with suspicion in the West, but also in China. North Korea is working on its own nuclear weapons. Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement on Wednesday.