Russia, Vietnam vow to strengthen ties as Putin visits

HANOI: Russia and Vietnam pledged on 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.