President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the capital of the Philippines, Manila. There he met with his Philippine counterpart Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
This was reported by the Associated Press on June 3, Suspilne informs.
The publication informs that the main purpose of the trip is to urge regional leaders to take part in a global peace summit organized by Switzerland.
It is known that Zelenskyy arrived in Manila unannounced and under strict security on the evening of June 2 after speaking at the Shangri-La Forum in Singapore.
According to sources, Zelenskyy was unable to meet personally with the Philippine president on the sidelines of the forum. Therefore, he decided to fly to Manila to personally invite Marcos to the peace summit.
The two officials also discussed bilateral cooperation. Subsequently, Zelenskyy officially announced his visit to the Philippines and said that Ukraine plans to open its embassy in Manila this year.
At the meeting, the two leaders discussed the Global Peace Summit and the importance of Southeast Asian countries attending. The Philippines will participate in the Summit, Zelenskyy said.
In addition, Zelenskyy and Ferdinand Marcos discussed bilateral cooperation, in particular the export of Ukrainian agricultural products to the Philippines.
“I am grateful to the Philippines for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, for its clear position on Russia’s aggression against our country, and for supporting important UN resolutions. Ukraine intends to open an embassy in Manila this year to strengthen bilateral cooperation”, — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote.
The Associated Press writes that both leaders were critical of China at a defense forum in Singapore attended by senior defense and government officials from around the world, including Washington and Beijing. The talks themselves took place against the backdrop of the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as growing tensions between the United States and China in the Indo-Pacific region.
