One
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been isolated from the Western countries due to the Ukrainian war, visited two Asian countries.
2
The visit was described as “Putin’s challenge to the West.”
3
Putin was welcomed with a military ceremony in Vietnam, his second destination.
President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin also attended the ceremony.
Four
The protocol previously laid out for U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping also applied to Putin.
The protocol was interpreted as reflecting Vietnam’s “bamboo diplomacy” of wanting to maintain good relations with both the United States and Russia.
Five
In Vietnam, Putin said he wanted to build a “reliable security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific region.
He said the new security architecture would be based on the peaceful resolution of disputes, not the use of force.
6
During the visit, 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between Russia and Vietnam.
The agreement also includes cooperation in the energy sector, but it does not go to the level of the Mutual Defense Agreement signed with North Korea the previous day.
Still, Putin attributes his success to a warm welcome in Hanoi.
7
Details of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement concluded with North Korea were also revealed.
North Korea announced the agreement shortly after Putin left for Vietnam.
The pact is a revival of an agreement from the 1960s that provides the two countries with immediate military assistance in the event of an armed attack.
This includes cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy, space, food and energy security.
8
The Russian leader gave a Russian-made limousine as a gift to North Korean leader Kim Yong Un, who is known for his passion for limousines.
The two leaders took turns using the limousine and the moment was caught on camera.
9
Images of Putin and Kim taken from inside the car were also released.
Kim also presented the visiting head of state with two Pungsan dogs.
Putin stroked a dog amid a hedge decorated with roses.
Kim and Putin also looked after the horses, with the North Korean leader feeding the animal carrots while the Russian leader stroked it.
