Vietnam was gearing up for a full state welcome for Mr Putin, his first visit since 2017.
HANOI - Vietnam prepared on June 19 to roll out the red carpet for Mr Vladimir Putin in a visit seen as a publicity coup for the Russian president, who is accused of war crimes in Ukraine, while bringing benefits and risks for Hanoi's Communist leaders.
That makes the Hanoi stop of Mr Putin's tour especially important for the Russian leader, said Mr Alexander Vuving of the Hawaii-based Inouye Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies. Russia was hit with US-led Western sanctions after it invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 in what Moscow calls a"special military operation". In March 2023, the Hague-based International Criminal Court's issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, charges he denies.Vietnam will be the third country Mr Putin has visited, after China and North Korea, since he was sworn in for a fifth term in May.
"President Vladimir Putin is a person who has made many contributions to Vietnam-Russia relations. He always has good feelings and concern for Vietnam and values relationships with Vietnam's senior leaders," Ministry of Defence newspaper Quan Doi Nhan Dan said in an article. Still, Vietnam has its reasons to risk the ire of other diplomatic partners with the visit, said Dr Ian Storey, senior fellow at the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
Noting that US President Joe Biden visited Vietnam followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping a few months later,"Putin's visit will complete leadership visits by the 'Big Three'," Dr Storey said.
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