Vietnam Stands Against Western Sanctions Imposed on Russia
Jose Nino
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On April 6, 2023, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced that the government of Vietnam is opposed to sanctions against Russia. He did so at a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
“We do not support sanctions, we do not support Russia’s isolation. We are a responsible member of international cooperation. We do not choose any side, but we choose justice,” he stated.
In addition, the Vietnamese prime minister embraced the strengthening and development of Russia and Vietnam’s strategic partnership. He emphasized the necessity of improving the quality of this cooperation “in line with the current situation.”
Vietnam is one of Russia’s most solid defense partners. According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia was one of Vietnam’s leading arms suppliers from 2017 to 2021, making up 56% of Vietnam’s total imports in this respect. Israel (19%) and South Korea (6.6%) came in second and third place respectively with regards to Vietnam’s largest weapons suppliers.
Under multipolarity, Vietnam and Russia’s relations will only intensify. Both countries have authoritarian tendencies that don’t sit well with the Collective West, so they will naturally pact with each other. More often than not, they will be the target of sanctions for embracing policies that go against Western values. Such relations will become the norm in the multipolar order where countries grow skeptical of the woke West’s fanatic mindset and start building parallel institutions and alliance networks to secure their interests.
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