The New York Times - Friday Briefing: Putin visits Vietnam

June 21, 2024

	By Amelia Nierenberg

Good morning. We’re covering Vladimir Putin’s visit to Vietnam and a rift in Israel over the war in Gaza.

Plus, the Bajo people’s lives between sea and land.

Vladimir Putin, far left, walking on a red carpet while inspecting rows of uniformed military officers at attention.

President Vladimir Putin in Hanoi yesterday. Minh Hoang/Associated Press

Putin visits Vietnam after North Korea

President Vladimir Putin of Russia visited Vietnam yesterday, a day after meeting North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, in Pyongyang.

There were no major breakthroughs, but the visit offered Russia a veneer of international legitimacy as its isolation grows over the invasion of Ukraine.

Putin and Vietnamese leaders walked a careful line. The countries have a shared communist history, and Moscow has long been Vietnam’s main source of weapons. But Hanoi has recently grown closer to the U.S. Before the visit, U.S. officials rebuked Vietnam, saying that “no country should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.”

Here are three takeaways from the visit.

Fallout from the North Korea visit: The defense pact that Russia signed with North Korea this week rattled officials in South Korea and Japan, which have been expecting growing security challenges from Pyongyang. It’s also a headache for Beijing: The treaty raises the risk of confrontation in the region and could prompt the U.S. and its allies to bolster their military presence on China’s periphery.

A group of people in military fatigues and helmets.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv para The New York Times

Israel’s military at odds with Netanyahu

For months, reports had swirled about divisions between Israel’s military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the direction of the war in Gaza. This week, that rift spilled into the open.

The sharpest and most public break came with unusually blunt comments from the armed forces’ chief spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari. In an interview aired on Israeli television on Wednesday, Hagari appeared to counter Netanyahu’s promises of “absolute victory” over Hamas. “The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” he said.

Netanyahu’s office was quick to issue a statement that the military and his government were both committed to “the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities.”

Analysis: Hagari’s remarks reflected growing concern among Israeli military leaders that they might be handed responsibility for administering Gaza, a retired Israeli general said.

U.S.: After Netanyahu lashed out at the U.S. on Tuesday for withholding some heavy munitions, the White House spokesman described his comments as “deeply disappointing” yesterday. It was the latest back-and-forth between the allies that have increasingly diverged on how Israel is conducting the war.

Gaza: The only way for almost all people in Gaza to escape the horrors of the war between Israel and Hamas is by leaving through neighboring Egypt. But that’s a complicated and expensive ordeal that involves paying thousands of dollars to middlemen or an Egyptian company.

A man stands in front of a microphone with a row of flags behind him.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Sedat Suna/Getty Images

Dutch prime minister is poised to lead NATO

Mark Rutte, the departing prime minister of the Netherlands, is expected to be elected as the next secretary general of NATO after Romania’s president dropped his bid.

Rutte, 57, has guided more than $3 billion in Dutch military support to Ukraine since 2022. He has increasingly echoed a main NATO message that supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia is vital for preserving democracy and national sovereignty across the alliance.

MORE TOP NEWS

The sun rising in a deep red sky over a field.

Much of the U.S. is sweltering. Kaiti Sullivan for The New York Times

U.S.: A heat wave across the Northeast and the lower Midwest stretched into a fourth day. Nearly 100 million Americans are under extreme heat advisories.
France: The alleged rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl has inflamed tensions in the country and made antisemitism a central issue in coming elections.
Trump: The judge in the classified documents case against Donald Trump rejected her colleagues’ suggestions to step aside in 2023. She was appointed by Trump.
Terror: A U.S. military jury ordered a former Qaeda commander to serve a 30-year prison sentence for war crimes. Under a plea deal, his term will end in 2032.
Protest: Two climate activists were arrested in England after they sprayed the Stonehenge monoliths with an orange powder.

Economy

Britain: The Bank of England held interest rates steady even as inflation slowed to 2 percent in May.
E.U.: The bloc has agreed to new sanctions, including ones targeting Russia’s profits from the sale of liquefied natural gas to E.U. members.
France: The E.U. warned the country to rein in its debt or risk penalties, less than two weeks before national elections.

Science

Lokiceratops: Researchers believe that a horned dinosaur skull discovered in 2019 may, in fact, be a previously unknown species. They named the animal after the Norse god Loki.
An ancient find: Researchers found the oldest shipwreck ever discovered in deep water. It probably sank sometime between 1400 B.C. and 1300 B.C.
Leeches can jump: Videos recorded in Madagascar have proved what scientists have long suspected — that leeches can leap in pursuit of blood.

SPORTS

Adrien Rabiot, wearing a blue and white uniform, prepares to kick a soccer ball, which is right in front of him.

France’s midfielder, Adrien Rabiot, faces an uncertain future. Kenzo Tribouillard/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Expiring contracts: How do lapsing club agreements affect Euros or Copa America players?
Records will tumble: Here’s your data guide to Copa America 2024.
Going out with a bang: Less than two months after Ryan Garcia stunned the boxing world by defeating Devin Haney, Garcia said he was “officially retired.”

MORNING READ

Rows of people eating at a restaurant in Hong Kong.

Return Home Hunan, a well- known mainland China chain, has opened in Hong Kong. Anthony Kwan for The New York Times

Famous restaurants from mainland China have opened outposts in Hong Kong in recent months. To some residents, this migration is one more sign that mainland China is slowly taking over their culture.

Lives lived: Donald Sutherland, a star of the 1970 film “M*A*S*H,” displayed an ability to charm and unsettle across scores of films. He died at 88.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A giveaway? An Austrian heiress decided to donate most of her inheritance. Read where it’s going.
Life after work: Our readers shared their stories about retirement — their experiences as well as their advice.

Play our game: Which apartment in Rome did a recently married couple pick with their $950,000 budget?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS & IDEAS

A person wearing a green conical hat in a wooden boat, floating on clear water, with elevated houses in the distance

A Bajo fishermen in Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti

A shift for nomads of the sea

The Bajo people once spent a large part of their lives on boats or in offshore huts on wooden poles anchored to the sea bottom. Traditionally, they came ashore only to trade for supplies or shelter from storms. Their communities are found off the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. They are skilled at fishing and free diving.

Starting in the late 1980s, the Indonesian government developed settlements for them on land to access services like schools. More of the Bajo began spending more time on land. Some gave up their seaborne lives entirely.

To those who study the Bajo, there’s little question that the culture is losing touch with its nomadic, seafaring past. Advocates hope that the younger generation will not forsake its connection to the sea.

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That’s it for today. Enjoy the weekend. — Amelia

Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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