Iran Press/Asia: Russian president’s trip comes after he signed a mutual defence pact with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam early on Thursday for talks with the country's leaders on the final stop of his two-nation tour of Asia after concluding a defence pact with North Korea.
Putin's aircraft touched down at Hanoi's airport, where he was welcomed on a red carpet by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and top party diplomat Le Hoai Trung.
In Hanoi on Thursday, Putin is expected to discuss military, energy and trade relations rooted in the Cold War. Russia and Vietnam are both eager to show they have security alternatives to China and the US.
Relations with the U.S. are particularly important as the country is Vietnam's biggest export destination. Hanoi last September raised the diplomatic status of the U.S. by two notches to the highest level.
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. 219
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