All right, Alexander, let's talk about Putin's visit to North Korea, which has wrapped up.

And let's then talk about Putin's visit to Vietnam.

Interesting itinerary.

First, North Korea, then Vietnam.

And the collective west is freaking out, by the way, which is to be expected.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on? Let's start with North Korea. And then, of course, we'll go to

Vietnam. Well, I think the trip to North Korea is extremely important because it fits in

with a series of important diplomatic moves that the Russians have been making over the last

few months. And what they together signaled to me is that the Russians have finally concluded

that the post-Cold War period is over, even the detent period, if you like, of the sort of late Cold War era, is also over.

That there's now a straightforward confrontation between the West and Russia, and that that isn't going to change anymore.

So the result is that the Russians are now reconstructing some of their Cold War alliances,

and they're doing that with North Korea. We'll come to that in a moment.

They're doing that with Vietnam. Now, remember,

in the 1960s, the Soviet Union, two of its key allies at that time in Asia were North Korea

and Vietnam, North Vietnam, both of which, of course, were divided countries at that time.

North Korea, South Korea facing off against each other.

North Vietnam, South Vietnam facing off against each other.

By the way, North Korea and North Vietnam in the 1960s had excellent relations and North Korea and Vietnam also have excellent relations.

The relations never cooled between these countries. So the Russians rebuilding those relationships, those old Cold War alliances, they're sending their fleet to Cuba and carrying our exercises off the coast of Florida.

Fairly provocative, one would have once said. I think given all that's happened now, it almost looks moderate by comparison

with what the West has been doing in Europe. But clearly, the fact that they've sent their fleet to Cuba,

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