Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam on Thursday for a state visit to strengthen ties with a longtime partner at a time when Moscow is facing growing international isolation because of its war in Ukraine.
Putin landed in the Southeast Asian country after concluding his first trip to North Korea in 24 years. There, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement that pledges mutual aid if either country faces aggression, a strategic pact that comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West.
Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but it can mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
In Hanoi, the Russian leader is scheduled to meet Vietnam’s most powerful politician, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the new President To Lam and other politicians.
The trip has resulted in a sharp rebuke from the United States Embassy in Hanoi.
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