MANILA, Philippines, June 3 ------ Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is welcoming Ukrainian President Vlodomir Zelensky to Malacañang on Monday, June 3, a historic meeting that is expected to catch the attention of Russia and China.
Rappler first reported about Zelensky's surprise visit to Manila on Sunday night, June 2, but Malacañang did not confirm his presence in the Philippines nor his schedule with Marcos until Monday morning. This is the third Asian country that Zelensky has visited since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He was in Japan for the G7 meetings in May 2023, and just last Saturday, June 1, he arrived in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense summit.
During his unannounced appearance at the forum, he criticized Russia and China for allegedly trying to discourage other countries from attending his upcoming international peace summit on June 15 in Switzerland. “With China’s support to Russia, the war will last longer. That is bad for the whole world,” Zelensky said of Beijing, which claims a neutral position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, although it continues to be a major economic lifeline for Moscow. During the gathering in Singapore, he also urged countries in the Asia-Pacific region to attend his peace summit, a potential talking point for his meeting with Marcos in Manila.
Marcos was the keynote speaker at the Shangri-La Dialogue, but the two were not able to rub elbows during the conference, as the Philippine president left Singapore late Friday evening, May 31. Like Zelensky, Marcos also put a spotlight on China during his speech at the summit, decrying “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions” by the world superpower in the West Philippine Sea. In November 2022, Marcos called the war between Russia and Ukraine “unacceptable,” and urged both parties to resolve their issues in a diplomatic manner. The Philippines has also voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source: rappler.com
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