President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is his personal friend and the Philippines will remain neutral amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Duterte said that the Philippines will not send troops to Europe. Countries have only committed weapons so far and did not join the Ukraine-Russia war.
“I won’t send a single soldier of mine to go to war,” Duterte said in a speech in Leyte.
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“If the Americans engage in a war and they’re here, why will I send my soldiers? It’s not our battle to fight. If the violence spills over and the war somehow gets here, that will be very difficult. We better maintain our neutrality. Let’s avoid meddling in it so that we won’t get involved,” the President said.
Duterte’s latest pronouncements in Ukraine somehow contradicts the position of the Philippines at the United Nations General Assembly voting YES against a resolution condemning Russia.
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Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez also said that Duterte told him that if push comes to shove, the Philippines would be ready to offer its facilities to the U.S. should the war in Ukraine spill over to Asia.
“Putin kills even civilians while I kill criminals. Putin is my friend. He is a personal friend,” Duterte said in a speech in Ilocos last week.
