His state visit to Vietnam comes as Moscow seeks to strengthen ties with Asia to compensate for its international isolation
Vladimir Putin has said he plans to change Russia’s doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons. The announcement follows what he described as the development of very low-yield nuclear explosive devices by Russia’s adversaries.
The Russian president made the comments during a press conference in Hanoi, as part of his state visit to Vietnam.
A mutual defense pact with North Korea
He also said he did not rule out sending weapons to North Korea, where he signed a mutual defense pact earlier this week. However, he clarified that North Korean volunteers were not expected on the Ukrainian front for the moment.
The United States and its allies are increasingly concerned about a possible arms deal in which North Korea would provide Russia with badly needed munitions for Ukraine in exchange for aid Russian economy and technology transfers that could reinforce the threat posed by Kim Jong-un’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.
Both countries deny accusations of arms transfers, which would violate multiple United Nations Security Council sanctions, which Russia has previously approved.