HANOI - The leaders of Vietnam and Russia have said they want to boost ties as the pair met in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Vietnamese President To Lam was full of praise for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, congratulating him on his recent re-election. The United States has criticised the visit for giving a platform for President Putin to promote his war of aggression in Ukraine. Vietnam still values the historic ties it has with Russia even as it works to improve its relationship with Europe and the US. This is also true in other Asian countries, where the Ukraine war is seen as a faraway crisis.
