Russia and Vietnam have pledged to strengthen ties, as Vladimir Putin made a state visit to Hanoi that was intended to signal his country still has allies in the region. Putin’s visit has drawn criticism from the US, one of Vietnam’s top trade partners, which has warned it risks normalising Russia’s “blatant violations of international law”. Putin told reporters the talks were constructive and that both sides had “identical or very close” positions on key international issues. Russia is not a major source of trade for Vietnam, and international sanctions against Russia mean there is a low likelihood of a major economic announcement. Trade between Vietnam and Russia stood at just $3.5bn in 2022 – far less than Vietnam’s $175bn trade with China and $123bn with the US.

Source: The Guardian June 21, 2024 03:31 UTC