Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit North Korea and Vietnam soon, as reported by Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper. While the dates for the Vietnam visit are tentatively scheduled for June 19-20, they have yet to be confirmed officially, according to a source speaking to Reuters.
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora confirmed to the newspaper that preparations for Putin’s visit to Pyongyang are underway. Additionally, the newspaper suggested that Putin might visit Vietnam in June, possibly right after his trip to North Korea.
A Vietnamese official confirmed to Reuters that the dates for Putin’s visit to Hanoi have been confirmed, but the agenda is still being discussed. They expect discussions to cover energy, military cooperation, payment settlements, and educational agreements.
In a statement last month, Russia’s trade representative in Vietnam emphasized that the critical trade issue between the two countries was securing banking support for settling payments.
Since deploying troops to Ukraine in 2022, Putin has strengthened relations with North Korea, prompting condemnation from the United States and its allies, who allege significant missile deliveries from North Korea to Russia to support its war effort.
Both Russia and North Korea have repeatedly ignored the criticism. Moscow maintains it has the right to develop relationships with any country and insists its cooperation with Pyongyang complies with international agreements.
Russia has made efforts to publicize the strengthening of its ties, including military cooperation, with North Korea, a relationship established in 1948 with support from the Soviet Union.
