Russia's President Putin visits Vietnam.

 President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the NATO military alliance of creating a security threat for Russia and other nations in Asia.

"We see what is happening in Asia: a bloc system is being put together," Putin told a news conference in Vietnam at the end of a two-day trip to Asia. He held talks in North Korea a day earlier.

"NATO is already "moving" there (to Asia) as if to a permanent place of residence. This, of course, creates a threat to all countries in the region, including the Russian Federation. We are obliged to respond to this and will do it," Putin said.

Alarmed by China's growing military power, the United States has pushed for NATO to share expertise and build ties with countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

At odds with NATO over his war in Ukraine, Putin sees the military alliance as an adversary and accuses it of deceiving Russia by granting membership to east European countries following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

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Vietnam accused of giving Vladimir Putin ‘a platform’ as he arrives for state visit

Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam on his second stop during his East Asia tour as the isolated European leader sought alliances under heavy sanctions for his war on Ukraine.

Mr Putin is rekindling historic partnership with Vietnam with ties going back to the Soviet Union in a desperate need to strengthen diplomatic support in Asia.

He landed at the Hanoi airport on Wednesday night to be welcomed by Vietnamese deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha and shook hands with scores of Vietnamese officials who were present to greet the Russian leader.

Before he flew out Mr Putin had hailed Vietnam for its balanced position on its war in Ukraine.

Fresh from a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang, Mr Putin is seeking to strengthen ties with long-time partner Vietnam.

The Russian leader signed an agreement with North Korea that pledges mutual aid in the event of war. The strategic pact, which could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War, comes as both face escalating standoffs with the West.

In Hanoi, the Russian leader is set to meet Vietnam’s top politician, Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the new president To Lam, and other officials.

Mr Putin’s trip to Vietnam has drawn sharp criticism from the US which has warned partners and allies against giving platform to the Russian leader, who is believed to be ramping up efforts to legitimise its war in Ukraine.

The US embassy in Hanoi said: “No country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.”

According to Russian officials, Mr Putin’s visit will focus on the topic of economy, education and energy.

The bilateral trade between the two countries remained at $3.5bn in 2022 while China and the US have emerged as major trade partners.

In an article written for Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Mr Putin vowed to deepen the ties between Moscow and Hanoi.

He hailed Vietnam as a “strong supporter of a fair world order based on international law, on the principles of equality of all states and non-interference in their domestic affairs”.

He also thanked “Vietnamese friends for their balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis” in the article released by the Kremlin.

While North and Russia the two pariah countries facing international isolation were more vociferous in their support for each other Hanoi is walking a tightrope walk as it is trying to build delicate alliances with the US and the EU.

Vietnam has remained neutral on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The country has also seen upgraded diplomatic ties with the US with president Joe Biden’s visit to Hanoi to deepen cooperation between the United States and Vietnam.

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Visiting Vietnam, Putin seeks new 'security architecture' for Asia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted to build a "reliable security architecture" in the Asia-Pacific region during a state visit to Vietnam on Thursday, part of a trip to Asia seen as show of defiance to the West.

A day after signing a mutual defence agreement with North Korea, Putin received a 21-gun salute at a military ceremony in Vietnam, was embraced by two of its Communist leaders and lavishly praised by one of them.

Putin had contributed to "peace, stability and development" in the world, Vietnam's president said.

Putin's visit has drawn criticism from the United States and its allies, who treat the Russian leader as a pariah and have protested that he should not be given a stage on which to defend Russia's war in Ukraine.

Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on issues including energy, underlining Moscow's pivot to Asia after the West imposed sanctions on Moscow over the conflict in Ukraine.

"We are firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam, which remains among the priorities of Russia's foreign policy," Putin was quoted as saying by Russian media.

He was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying the two countries shared an interest in "developing a reliable security architecture" in the region based on not using force and peacefully settling disputes with no room for "closed military-political blocs".

At a news conference to wrap up his trip, Putin accused the NATO military alliance of creating a security threat for Russia in Asia, TASS reported.

The 11 pacts signed in Hanoi were not on the same level as the landmark mutual defence agreement in North Korea.

But Putin's warm welcome was a public relations achievement for the Russian leader, who has an outstanding International Criminal Court arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, charges he denies.

Neither Russia nor Vietnam is a member of the ICC.

"Putin's triumphal reception in Hanoi will mark a counter-point to Russia's recent setbacks," said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy, listing the recent Ukraine conference in Switzerland and new European Union sanctions on Russia.

They were the latest Western sanctions imposed on Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

Putin's public relations blitz has been helped by the fact that Vietnam, unlike North Korea, has friendly relations with the United States and its allies, Zachary Abuza, a professor at the U.S. National War College, said.

"Although, there was a lot less of the fanfare and performative aspects than in North Korea, this visit was still important for Putin because Vietnam is actually an important actor in the global economy, not some comically evil pariah state," Abuza said.

SHARED HISTORY

The military ceremony put on to greet Putin, who was embraced by both Vietnamese President To Lam and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, was the kind reserved for the highest heads of state and rolled out when U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Vietnam last year.

The two presidents witnessed the exchange of 11 agreements and memorandums of understanding, including deals on oil and gas, nuclear science and education.

At another event, Lam said Putin continued to lead Russia "overcoming all difficulties and challenges, at the same time contributing to the peace, stability and development in the region and the world."

Abuza underlined Vietnam and Russia's shared Communist history, with tens of thousands of Vietnamese cadres - including current members of the Politburo - having trained in the former Soviet Union.

US, EU CRITICISMVietnam's hosting of Putin was criticised by the EU and by the United States, now an important partner which upgraded diplomatic relations with Hanoi last year and is Vietnam's top export market.

The U.S. State Department said a top U.S. diplomat will visit Vietnam this week to stress Washington's commitment to working with it to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink "will also reaffirm the United States’ support for a strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous Vietnam," during his visit, it said.

Separately, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States' upgraded partnership with Vietnam did not require Vietnam to sever ties with Russia or China.

An EU delegation spokesperson in Vietnam said Hanoi had the right to develop its own foreign policy, but said Russia's war in Ukraine proved Moscow did not respect international law.

Despite concern over the visit from the U.S. and its allies, Hanoi may have correctly calculated it will not suffer material consequences, said Murray Hiebert, a senior associate of the Southeast Asia Program at Washington’s the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I don't think it'll have a long-term impact... the U.S. often gives them a bit of a pass," Hiebert said, noting Washington's heavy reliance on its good relations with Vietnam to counter its rivalry with China in the region.

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