Putin's visit to Vietnam: Will Russia intensify its attack on Ukraine?
Putin's visit to Vietnam: Will Russia intensify its attack on Ukraine?

Russian President Vladimir Putin made several statements regarding the war in Ukraine while speaking at a press conference following the end of his trips to North Korea and Vietnam. This was reported by Russian publications.

In particular, Putin said that the withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied territories, as demanded by Ukraine, "apparently will never happen." According to him, the desire of Western politicians to "strategically defeat Russia on the battlefield" can only force the Kremlin to "go to the end".

"The politicians of the Western countries say that they want to achieve our strategic defeat, but for Russia this means the end of its statehood. After this situation, "What should we be afraid of, isn't it better to go to the end?" "The issue will be cross-cutting," Putin was quoted as saying by "Meduza" publication.

In his speech, the Russian president added that he is currently considering the possibility of making changes to the country's nuclear doctrine, which stipulates the use of nuclear weapons only in response to the use of nuclear weapons by the enemy.

"However, in doctrine, we do not need a preventive strike, we can destroy the enemy in a retaliatory strike," said Putin, clarifying his words.

Despite this, Putin did not rule out the possibility that talks on Ukraine could start "as soon as tomorrow", but Russia said that in this case it would be based on the current situation on the front line.

According to the Russian president, proposals to settle the conflict "do not always work" and change depending on the situation on the conflict line.

"If Kiev wants to link the start of negotiations with the withdrawal of our troops, this will never happen, because the Kiev regime does not want to leave power. So, people in Kiev are interested in our troops staying there," Putin said.

Against the supply of weapons to Ukraine, Putin said that Russia can supply weapons to other countries hostile to the West. In his opinion, the Western countries should then puzzle over where and who can use these weapons.

It is noteworthy that, as in North Korea, in Vietnam, the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in the field of defense. This was stated in the joint statement of the two countries on the results of the visit of the Russian head of state to Hanoi.

"Mutual cooperation in the field of defense and security occupies a special place in the system of Russian-Vietnamese relations and is not directed against third countries. The purpose of such cooperation is to contribute to the maintenance of peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world," said this document.

For information, Putin, who signed a strategic defense agreement with North Korea, went to Vietnam. On June 20, he met with Vietnamese President To Lam in Hanoi. Later, bilateral talks and exchange of signed documents were held. In particular, there was a breakfast with the Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Tin and a conversation with Nguyen Phu Chong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. This is Putin's fifth visit to Vietnam, he previously visited this Asian country in 2001, 2006, 2013 and 2017.

Vietnam has been an ally of Moscow since the time of the Soviet Union. In particular, after this visit, Nhan Dan, a publication of the Communist Party of Vietnam, wrote that Putin thanked Hanoi for its "balanced position on the Ukrainian crisis."

Moscow has been Vietnam's most important arms supplier for decades, accounting for more than 80 percent of imports from 1995 to 2023, AFP reported. However, when the war started in Ukraine and the sanctions against Russia were strengthened, this also affected the volume of trade.

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