After staying away from the public eye, President Duterte will be holding his second pre-recorded public address of the week on Thursday evening, Malacañang said.
(KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO)
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after it was reported that President Duterte had a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
In his press briefing on Thursday, Roque said Duterte will share details about his phone call with Putin during his "Talk to the People" on Thursday evening.
"Mamaya po magkakaroon ng 'Talk to the People' ang Pangulo. Siya na po ang magkukwento kung ano ang nangyari sa kanilang usapan ni President Putin (He will have his 'Talk to the People' tonight. He will tell us what happened in his phone call with President Putin)," he said.
President Duterte had a 30-minute "telesummit" with President Putin on Tuesday. Photos shared with the press showed Duterte taking the call from the Malacañang Gold Clubhouse.
Duterte thanked Putin for helping the Philippines address the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly for offering Russia's Sputnik V vaccine. The Philippines has ordered 20 million doses of the Russian drug.
Malacañang said Both leaders stressed the importance of deploying Sputnik V to as many countries and ramping up global production and supplies.
Aside from the COIVD-19 pandemic, Duterte and Putin also talked about defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and Russia. Both leaders believed that there is "steady progress" in this area of cooperation.
According to Malacañang, President Putin also highlighted the positive trajectory of Russia-Philippines relations and emphasized the many opportunities for greater cooperation in the fields of trade and investments, agriculture, and energy development.
Meanwhile, President Duterte invited President Putin to visit the Philippines "as soon as circumstances allow."