Russia and Vietnam signed a framework agreement to cooperate on establishing a strategic oil reserve in Vietnam during Vietnamese President Tô Lâm’s visit to Moscow on Wednesday, Sept. 9. Russian state-owned oil and gas company Zarubezhneft signed the agreement with Vietnam’s state energy company Petrovietnam, according to Reuters, which noted that the companies had not disclosed the planned reserve’s capacity, construction timetable, or financial terms.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Discussions about the global and regional agenda confirmed that the positions of Russia and Vietnam are either largely aligned or very close,” Putin said, according to TASS. “Our countries firmly defend the principles of the rule of the international law, sovereignty, and non-interference in internal affairs,” he continued. Visa-free travel proposal Russian authorities are also working to introduce a visa-free regime for Vietnamese nationals, according to state-owned RIA Novosti. “We are working to introduce a visa-free regime for Vietnamese friends in the near future,” Putin said, without providing a timeline or ad The proposal was announced following talks in Moscow, when the two leaders addressed reporters. Wider partnership agreement The Moscow Times reported that Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang had previously said Hanoi expected a breakthrough in cooperation with Russia regarding oil, gas and nuclear energy – key areas of cooperation between the two countries.