Russia’s Putin praises Vietnam for its ‘balanced’ stance on Ukraine

Putin hails Vietnam for backing ‘a pragmatic way to solve the crisis’ in Ukraine in an op-ed released in advance of his visit.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has praised Vietnam for its “balanced” stance on the Ukraine war and listed progress on payments, energy and trade in an opinion piece published in the newspaper of Vietnam’s Communist Party.

Putin applauded the Southeast Asian Communist-governed country for supporting “a pragmatic way to solve the crisis” in Ukraine, in comments published in the Nhan Dan newspaper on Wednesday, timed to coincide with his state visit to Vietnam.

Vietnam, which officially pursues a neutral foreign policy in its relations with major world powers, has not condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Putin is due to arrive in Hanoi overnight, and plans to meet Vietnamese leaders on Thursday, on the heels of a trip to North Korea where leader Kim Jong Un promised “full support and solidarity” for Russia’s war in Ukraine.