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 Reuters reported on Wednesday that the United States had asked
Vietnam to stop letting Russia use Vietnam's Cam Ranh Bay for tanker
aircraft that have refueled nuclear-capable bombers engaged in shows
of strength over the Asia-Pacific region.
It is strange to hear such statements from representatives of the
state whose armed forces are permanently stationed in a number of
Asia-Pacific countries and which continues to increase its level of
military activity in the region," Russia's Defense Ministry said.
It said U.S. statements that the refueling of Russian bombers from
Vietnam could lead to increased regional tensions was "puzzling."
The ministry said Russian Air Force activities and cooperation with
Vietnam were "carried out in strict accordance with international
norms and bilateral agreements are not directed against anyone
whatsoever and shall not be a threat to peace and stability in the
Asia-Pacific region.
 General Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific,
told Reuters last week the planes had conducted "provocative"
flights, including around the U.S. Pacific Ocean territory of Guam,
home to major American bases.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Jan. 4 that Russian Il-78 tanker
aircraft had used Cam Ranh Bay in 2014, enabling the refueling of
nuclear-capable TU-95 "Bear" strategic bombers, a statement also
reported in Vietnam's state-controlled media.
On Thursday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the
United States did not want Russia to use Cam Ranh Bay.
"We have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not
able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that
could raise tensions in the region," she told a regular news
briefing.
The Voice of America radio station quoted a spokeswoman for the U.S.
embassy in Hanoi as saying on Thursday that the U.S. request was
conveyed to Vietnamese officials last week and that she was unaware
of a Vietnamese government response.
The Vietnamese government has not responded to requests by Reuters
for comment.
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"WE DO NOT INTEND TO LISTEN"
On Friday, Russia's Tass news agency quoted Russia's ambassador to
Vietnam, Konstantin Vnukov, as saying that Vietnam and Russia were
independent sovereign states that "do not need any instructions or
recommendations by anyone, and we do not intend to listen to
requirements.
Russia and Vietnam are longtime allies, and Moscow was the main
backer of Hanoi against the United States in the Vietnam War that
ended in 1975.
But the current controversy comes at a time of steadily warming ties
between Washington and Hanoi, especially in security, given shared
concerns about China's growing power and assertiveness in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Washington is eager to secure greater access itself to Cam Ranh Bay
as part of its strategic "pivot" to Asia to counter China's growing
strength. U.S. ships have visited for repairs in recent years.
U.S. officials have been careful not to criticize Vietnam itself
over the Russian flights, stressing that Washington respected
Hanoi's right to enter agreements with other countries.
On Thursday, a senior official at the U.S. State Department told
Reuters that Washington did not see "any indication at all that the
Vietnamese relationship with Russia is any way meant to reduce the
relationship, or weaken, or impact the relationship with the United
States."
(Reporting by Jack Stubbs in Moscow, David Brunnstrom in Washington
and Ho Binh Minh in Hanoi; Editing by Jason Szep)
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