The Russian president visits North Korea and Vietnam to strengthen alliances.
The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, concluded a tour of two Asian countries with great success. It was the first time in 24 years that he had set foot in North Korea and left Pyongyang with a new defense pact as proof.
His two-day visit to Vietnam produced several new trade deals with the manufacturing hub.
Putin's latest state visits appear to be an attempt to shore up support amid growing isolation over his war in Ukraine.
But what can these countries gain from closer ties with Moscow? And how is Washington reacting?
Presenter:
Laura Kyle
Guests:
Andrei Lankov – professor at Kookmin University and director of NK News, an online news source focused on North Korea.
Benjamin Young, assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; author of Guns, Guerrillas, and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World
Carlyle Thayer, Professor Emeritus, University of New South Wales, Canberra; former senior staff member of the US Pacific Command's Asia-Pacific Security Studies Center
