Vietnam in Secret Talks to Buy Arms From Russia

When President Biden is greeted by Vietnamese officials in Hanoi on Sunday, he will be celebrating the prospect of adding another friend in Asia to a coalition that his administration hopes will side with American interests rather than China’s and Russia’s. During Mr. Biden’s visit, the two nations will underscore their commitment to “increase peace, prosperity, and stability in the region,” a White House press statement said. Nguyen Phu Trong, the top Vietnamese leader, is expected to confer upon the United States an upgrade of strategic ties. The Biden administration…

Russia Denounces West Over Drone Strike on Moscow

A day after a drone strike on Moscow, Kremlin officials jumped on the refusal of Ukrainian allies to denounce the attack as proof that Russia’s real war was with the West. The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, said Russia “would have preferred to hear at least some words of condemnation” from Western capitals. “We will calmly and deliberately think how to deal with this,” he said. While none of Ukraine’s allies went so far as to endorse the drone attack, Britain’s foreign secretary said on Tuesday that Kyiv had “the…

Putin Ally Meets With China’s Top Leader, Signaling Close Ties

A close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping, on Wednesday, a sign of the countries’ alignment amid Russia’s deepening international isolation. Dmitri A. Medvedev, the former Russian president and prime minister, held a previously unannounced meeting with Mr. Xi in Beijing as Chinese and Russian naval ships began weeklong joint exercises in the East China Sea. China has remained a significant, if largely silent, counterweight to the international censure of Mr. Putin. Russia has backed China’s claim over the island democracy…