Putin seeks to strengthen relations with Vietnam as Russia’s isolation deepens
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin signed not less than a dozen offers together with his Vietnamese counterpart on Thursday and supplied to provide fossil fuels, together with pure fuel, to Vietnam throughout a state go to that comes as Moscow seeks to… Strengthening relations in Vietnam. Asia to compensate for its growing worldwide isolation Its struggle in Ukraine.
Putin and President To Lam agreed to strengthen cooperation within the fields of training, science and know-how, oil and fuel exploration and clear vitality. The 2 international locations additionally agreed to work on a roadmap to determine a nuclear science and know-how heart in Vietnam.
Of the 12 agreements introduced, none had been overtly defense-related, however Lam mentioned there have been different offers that had not been introduced.
Putin mentioned the 2 international locations shared an curiosity in “growing a dependable safety structure” within the Asia-Pacific area with no room for “closed military-political blocs.” Lam added that Russia and Vietnam need to “proceed cooperation within the discipline of protection and safety to confront non-traditional safety challenges.”
The agreements between Russia and Vietnam weren’t as substantive as these reached The settlement signed by Putin with North Korean chief Kim Jong Un Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow on Russia and Eurasia on the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research in London and a former British ambassador to Belarus, mentioned on Wednesday that he had pledged mutual help within the occasion of an invasion.
Putin’s current visits to China North Korea and Vietnam at the moment are attempting to “break worldwide isolation,” mentioned Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst on the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
Related Press reporter Karen Shammas studies on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s go to to Vietnam.
Giang mentioned Russia is vital to Vietnam for 2 causes: It’s the largest provider of army gear to the Southeast Asian nation, and Russian oil exploration applied sciences assist keep Vietnam’s sovereign claims within the disputed area. South China Sea.
Vietnam has additionally licensed Russian state-controlled oil firm Zarubezhneft to develop an offshore space on its southeastern coast.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives at Noi Bai Worldwide Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, Thursday, June. November 20, 2024. (AP Picture/Minh Hoang)
Relating to the South China Sea, Lam mentioned that the 2 sides “will help and guarantee safety, security, freedom of navigation and flight” and resolve disputes peacefully and in accordance with worldwide legislation with out using drive, in accordance with official Vietnamese media.
Putin arrived in Hanoi on Thursday morning North Korea after signing the strategic settlementwhich comes at a time when each international locations are dealing with escalating confrontations with the West and will symbolize the strongest connection between them because the finish of the Chilly Warfare.
In Hanoi, Putin additionally met with Vietnam’s strongest politician, Communist Social gathering Secretary-Normal Nguyen Phu Trong, and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in accordance with the official Vietnam Information Company.
Putin headed to Vietnam’s presidential palace on Thursday afternoon, the place he was greeted by college kids waving Russian and Vietnamese flags.
Quite a bit has modified since Putin’s final go to to Vietnam in 2017. Russia is now confronting it A set of US-led sanctions Due to its invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, the Worldwide Felony Court docket in The Hague issued a choice Arrest warrant for Putin for alleged struggle crimes, making it troublesome for the Russian chief to journey internationally. The Kremlin rejected the arrest warrant, describing it as “null and void,” stressing that Moscow doesn’t acknowledge the court docket’s jurisdiction.
Putin’s journey resulted in a pointy rebuke from the US Embassy in Vietnam, which mentioned: “No nation ought to give Putin a platform to advance his struggle of aggression and permit him to normalize his atrocities.” She mentioned in a press release that if Putin was allowed to journey freely, this “may result in the normalization of Russia’s flagrant violations of worldwide legislation.”
The US and its allies expressed Rising considerations It considerations a possible arms association below which North Korea would provide Russia with badly wanted munitions to be used in Ukraine in trade for Russian financial help and know-how transfers that would improve the risk posed by Kim’s nuclear and missile applications.
Each international locations deny accusations of transferring the weapons, which might violate a number of UN Safety Council sanctions that Russia has beforehand supported.
Rizwan Rahmat, a Singapore-based analyst with protection intelligence agency Jane’s, mentioned Vietnam was unlikely to provide Russia with giant portions of weapons and danger the progress it has made with NATO members in army {hardware}, particularly america.
“I think about Vietnam wouldn’t need to danger angering Western international locations by supplying the Russians,” Rahmat mentioned.
Hanoi and Moscow have maintained diplomatic relations since 1950, and this yr marks the thirtieth anniversary of the treaty establishing “pleasant relations” between Vietnam and Russia. Vietnam is “strengthening” that relationship even because it diversifies with new companions, mentioned Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow with the Wilson Middle’s Asia Program.
Proof of the lengthy relationship and affect will be seen in Vietnamese cities such because the capital, the place many Soviet-style residence buildings at the moment are dwarfed by skyscrapers. statue of Vladimir Lenin, founding father of the Soviet Union, stands in a park the place kids skate each night. A lot of Vietnam’s high Communist Social gathering leaders studied at Soviet universities, together with Social gathering Chairman Truong.
In an article written for Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of the Communist Social gathering of Vietnam, Putin thanked “Vietnamese mates for his or her balanced place on the Ukrainian disaster” and praised the nation as a “robust supporter of a simply world order” based mostly on worldwide legislation. Equality and geopolitical non-interference.
Vietnam’s pragmatic coverage of “bamboo diplomacy” – a phrase coined by Trong in reference to manufacturing unit resilience, bending however not breaking within the face of the shifting headwinds of worldwide geopolitics – is more and more being examined.
As a producing powerhouse and an more and more vital participant in world provide chains, Vietnam has hosted each U.S. Pres Joe Biden And the Chinese language chief Xi Jinping In 2023.
Gold Davis, a former ambassador, mentioned that Putin’s go to is vital to Hanoi on the diplomatic stage.
“Perhaps for Vietnam it is about exhibiting that it might probably keep this very versatile stability in its bamboo diplomacy,” he mentioned. “Over the course of a yr, they’ve already hosted visits by the heads of state of the three strongest international locations on the earth, which may be very spectacular.”
For Russia, he mentioned, the go to seems to have been extra about optics than anything, as Moscow seeks to have interaction and affect different international locations, particularly within the so-called International South.
He mentioned: “For the reason that begin of the struggle, Putin has not been in a position to journey a lot or very far, and has solely made only a few journeys exterior the international locations of the previous Soviet area.”
Vietnam remained impartial on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However neutrality has turn into tougher,
Parameswaran mentioned Vietnam wants help from america to spice up its financial ambitions and diversify its protection relations. “It should fastidiously calibrate what it does with Russia in an setting of rising tensions between Washington and Moscow.”
Complete bilateral commerce between Russia and Vietnam reached $3.6 billion in 2023, in comparison with $171 billion with China and $111 billion with America.
For the reason that early 2000s, Russia has accounted for about 80% of Vietnam’s arms imports. This has decreased over time attributable to Vietnamese makes an attempt to diversify its provide. However Jiang mentioned it will take time to utterly distance itself from Russia.
Given Putin’s worldwide isolation, Vietnam is doing the Russian chief a “large favor and should count on favors in return,” Andrew Golidzinowski, the Australian ambassador to Vietnam, wrote on the social media platform X.
“Vietnam will at all times work for Vietnam and nobody else,” he wrote.
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AP author David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
