Vietnam and Russia’s Secret Oil-for-Arms Scheme Undermines U.S. Sanctions and National Security

In an era when America’s resolve to confront global adversaries is tested daily, a disturbing revelation emerges from Southeast Asia: Vietnam and Russia have engineered a covert financial arrangement designed explicitly to sidestep critical U.S. sanctions imposed on Moscow for its aggressive war in Ukraine.How Does This Backdoor Threaten America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy?According to internal Vietnamese government documents obtained exclusively by The Associated Press, Vietnam purchases Russian military hardware—fighter jets, tanks, frigates—on credit from Russia. Instead of direct payments through international banking channels that are subject to U.S. oversight, Vietnam repays this debt using profits from their joint oil venture in...