MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. The US lifting the embargo on arms sales to Vietnam will not affect the supplies of Russian armaments to the country, deputy head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) Anatoly Punchuk said on Monday.

US President Barack Obama announced that Washington has decided to "completely lift" its embargo on trade in lethal arms with Vietnam on Monday during his historic visit to the Southeast Asian country. The decades-old embargo was already eased in 2014.

"Our relations with Vietnam are of a strategic character and their further development will depend on the leadership of Vietnam. I think that this (lifting embargo) will not affect the export of Russian weapons," Punchuk said.

Vietnam is one of the biggest importers of Russian weapons. The country buys a broad range of Russian armaments, including Gepard-3.9 frigates and submarines of Project 636 (known as Varshavyanka). Vietnam also builds Molnia-class missile boats (project 12418) under the Russian license.