By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both expressed their interest in stronger bilateral relations between the Philippines and Ukraine.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Marcos said that he spoke with Zelenskyy to discuss deeper cooperation in food security, agriculture, and digitalization.
“I spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today to reaffirm our warm relations and discuss areas where our countries can work together,” he said.
President Marcos added that they also discussed ways to enhance engagement between Ukraine and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as the Philippines assumes the 11-member regional bloc’s chairship in 2026.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy shared that Manila is also interested in Kyiv’s expertise and technologies, noting that their teams “will follow up on all these matters in the near future.”
The Ukrainian leader also conveyed his condolences to the Philippines for the lives lost and the destruction caused by recent tropical cyclones that battered the country.
Zelenskyy added that he had also briefed Marcos on Ukraine’s joint work with the United States and other partners toward establishing peace in the region.
“I am grateful for the Philippines’ support for the peace efforts, for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for the clear stance,” he said.
The Philippines and Ukraine established diplomatic ties in 1992.
Zelenskyy last visited Manila in June 2024 to promote a peace summit and announced the opening of Kyiv’s embassy in Manila.
-jpv
