With Vietnam's ruling Communist Party (VCP) in turmoil, and the EU irritated by Hanoi flirting with Moscow,

With Vietnam's ruling Communist Party (VCP) in turmoil, and the EU irritated by Hanoi flirting with Moscow, the expected visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely not materialize this weekend.

The Russian leader on Friday capped off a two-day state visit to China in a conspicuous show of friendship between Moscow and Beijing.

Rumors ahead of the trip indicated Putin would make a stop in Hanoi before flying back to Moscow.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting China this week to

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China and Russia — true friends or marriage of convenience?

However, this scenario seems unlikely. This week, Russia's ambassador to Vietnam, Gennady Stepanovich Bezdetko, told Vietnamese state media that Putin would travel to Vietnam in the "near future" but that a date hasn't been set.

How close is Hanoi to Moscow?

Vietnam has abstained on most UN votes to reprimand Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and has maintained cooperation with Moscow. Vietnam has long seen Russia as a partner on oil exploration and a major arms supplier.