Russian president visits North Korea and Vietnam to strengthen alliances.
Russian President Vladimir Putin packed up a tour in Asia in two countries. It was the first time in 24 years that he had set foot in North Korea – and left Pyongyang with a new defense pact to prove it.
His two-day visit to Vietnam resulted in several new trade deals with the manufacturing hub.
Putin’s latest state visits appear to be an attempt to shore up support amid growing isolation over his war in Ukraine.
But what do these countries have to gain from a rapprochement with Moscow? And how does Washington react?
Presenter:
Laura Kyle
Guests:
Andrei Lankov – professor at Kookmin University and director of NK News, an online news source focused on North Korea
Benjamin Young – assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University; author of Guns, Guerrillas and the Great Leader: North Korea and the Third World
Carlyle Thayer – Emeritus Professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra; former senior executive of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, U.S. Pacific Command
