Russian President Putin arrives in Vietnam for state visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam early on Thursday for talks with the country’s Communist leaders after concluding a defence pact with North Korea for his final stop on a two-nation tour of Asia.
Putin’s aircraft touched down at Hanoi’s international airport, where he was met on a red carpet by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, according to a Reuters witness.
In an opinion piece timed for his visit, Putin applauded the Southeast Asian Communist-ruled country for supporting “a pragmatic way to solve the crisis” in Ukraine, in comments published in Vietnam’s Communist Party newspaper.
Vietnam, which officially pursues a neutral foreign policy it calls “bamboo diplomacy” in its relations with world powers, has abstained from condemning Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a stance that Western countries view as too close to the Kremlin.