Putin receives Vietnamese prime minister in Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday received Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who arrived in Moscow on a working visit.

Meeting with Pham in the Kremlin, Putin praised Vietnam as Russia's "reliable partner."

"Vietnam has been and remains our reliable partner, our friend. And our relations, certainly—as we have always emphasized on both sides—have stood the test of time," he said.

Putin noted that during Pham's visit, an agreement was signed to build Vietnam's first nuclear power plant.

"Trade turnover is growing in 2026, having increased by another 5.7 percent over these months. Today we will discuss all issues; we always have many," he noted.

For his part, the Vietnamese prime minister said that in the 76 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Russia, Putin was the first Russian leader to visit Vietnam in 2001, as well as the highest-ranking leader to tour the Asian country five times.

"And I would like to congratulate the Russian Federation; over the 27 years of your leadership, (Russia) has transformed from an unstable country with a weak economy in the 1990s into one of the four leading economies in the world today, with a high purchasing power parity," he said.