- Russian leader Vladimir Putin lands in Hanoi.
- Relations between Russia and North Korea are “of great concern,” says the United States.
- Putin's reception will probably be reserved in Vietnam.
HANOI: Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in Vietnam on Thursday on a state visit, a day after signing a mutual defense pact with North Korea.
Putin signed a strategic treaty with Kim Jong Un at a summit in Pyongyang that included a commitment to help each other if attacked.
Washington and its allies accuse North Korea of supplying munitions and missiles to Russia for its war in Ukraine, and the deal fueled fears of more deliveries.
The US State Department said deepening ties between Russia and North Korea were “a major concern”, while a senior Ukrainian official accused Pyongyang of being complicit in the “mass murder of Ukrainians” by Moscow.
In his first visit to the isolated North in 24 years on Wednesday, Putin said he was not ruling out “military-technical cooperation” with Pyongyang, which like Moscow is under heavy international sanctions.
“Today we are fighting together against the hegemonism and neocolonial practices of the United States and its satellites,” Putin said.
The two countries have been allies since the founding of North Korea after World War II and have grown even closer since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine isolated Putin on the world stage.
Kim called Putin the “dearest friend of the Korean people” and promised him his “full support and solidarity” over the war in Ukraine, which has triggered a series of UN sanctions against Moscow.
Putin thanked his host, whose country has been under a UN sanctions regime since 2006 for its banned weapons programs, and said Moscow appreciated the “consistent and unwavering” support.
Putin called for a review of U.N. sanctions on North Korea and said the two countries would not submit to Western “blackmail.”
Reacting to the visit to Pyongyang, a US State Department spokesperson said that no country should “give Mr. Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression against Ukraine.”
“Deepening cooperation between Russia and the DPRK is a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula,” the spokesperson said.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, told AFP that North Korea was complicit in Russia's “mass murder of Ukrainians” and called for greater international isolation of both countries.
Trade and weapons
Putin received a rapturous reception in the North Korean capital, embraced by Kim as he stepped off his plane and greeted by cheering crowds, synchronized dancers and flag-waving children.
His reception is likely to be more reserved in Vietnam, a major global manufacturing center that has carefully protected its foreign policy position for years, seeking to be friends with all but beholden to no one.
In particular, he has tried to avoid taking sides in the growing rivalry between the United States and China, even as both superpowers seek to increase their influence in Southeast Asia.
Putin will spend Thursday meeting with senior Vietnamese leaders, including newly installed President To Lam and Nguyen Phu Trong, the powerful general secretary of the ruling Communist Party.
US President Joe Biden visited Hanoi in September to promote ties as his administration seeks to make Vietnam an alternative supplier of key high-tech components to reduce US dependence on China.
Beijing quickly followed suit, and President Xi Jinping made his own state visit just three months later.
Putin landed in Hanoi around 2:00 a.m. (7:00 p.m. GMT Wednesday) and begins his commitments at noon with a meeting with his counterpart To Lam.
Russian officials say Putin's visit will focus on economic, educational and energy issues.
Trade between the two countries amounted to just $3.5 billion in 2022, a small fraction of Vietnam's $175 billion trade with China and $123 billion with the United States.
But observers say that privately, Ukraine and defense cooperation will likely be on the table.
Russia and Vietnam have deep ties dating back to the 1950s, and for decades Moscow was Hanoi's main arms supplier.
Carl Thayer, professor emeritus of politics at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said Vietnam has halted “large” military purchases since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Russia and Vietnam have a mutual interest in resuming arms sales, but Vietnam is paralyzed by the threat of US sanctions,” he told AFP.
