HANOI, Vietnam (NEWSnet/AP) — Russia President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnam counterpart on Thursday during a state visit.

Putin and President To Lam agreed to cooperate further in education, science and technology, oil and gas exploration, clean energy and health. The nations also agreed to work on a plan for a nuclear science and technology center in Vietnam. He offered to supply fossil fuels to Vietnam for the long-term.

Of the 12 publicly announced agreements, none pertain overtly to defense. But Lam said there are other deals that were not made public.

Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset its isolation brought by the war in Ukraine.

Following their talks, Putin said the countries share an interest in “developing a reliable security architecture” in the Asia-Pacific region with no room for “closed military-political blocs.” Lam added that both Russia and Vietnam want to cooperate "in defense and security to cope with non-traditional security challenges.”

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.