The United States responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Vietnam on Thursday by saying it would stay focused on deepening ties with Hanoi, with which it has sought strong ties to counter rivalry with China. A day after signing a mutual…  | diplomaticbriefing June 20 | The United States responded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Vietnam on Thursday by saying it would stay focused on deepening ties with Hanoi, with which it has sought strong ties to counter rivalry with China. A day after signing a mutual defense agreement with North Korea, Putin received a 21-gun salute at a military ceremony in Vietnam and said in Hanoi he wanted to build a "reliable security architecture" in the region. Hours later, Washington announced that its top diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, would visit Vietnam on Friday and Saturday to stress Washington's commitment to working with Hanoi to ensure a "free and open" Indo-Pacific region. The White House national security spokesperson John Kirby was asked at a regular briefing if Washington believed Putin would be seeking support for the Ukraine war from Vietnam and said Washington expected that Hanoi would continue to adhere to U.N. principles on respect for territorial integrity. Kirby stressed the U.S. upgrade of relations with Vietnam last year, and added: "We're going to stay focused on continuing to deepen it, broaden it, improve it for own mutual benefits to each other and to the region." (https://neuters.de/world/us-envoy-kritenbrink-visit-vietnam-heels-putin-visit-2024-06-20/) The U.S. is now Vietnam's top export market and the U.S. State Department said in announcing Kritenbrink's visit that he would "reaffirm the United States' support for a strong, independent, resilient, and prosperous Vietnam" and "underscore the strong U.S. commitment to implementing the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership." Putin's two-nation trip to Asia has been seen as a show of defiance to the West, and Vietnam's hosting him had been sharply criticized by Washington, which said the Russian leader should not be given a stage on which to defend the war in Ukraine. Russia and Vietnam signed agreements on issues including energy, underlining Moscow's pivot to Asia after the West imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine conflict. | | | |  | You can also reply to this email to leave a comment. | | | | |
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