Ukraine has been seeking to conduct a dialogue with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. since his election, but Malacañang has supposedly not responded to the request, which has been stalled for several months now.
This was according to Denys Mykhailiuk, Charges d'Affaires of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia, who added on Wednesday that the proposal for a phone talk "is still standing."
Speaking with Manila-based reporters in an online press conference, Mykhailiuk said the Ukrainian government is seeking a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Marcos to seek the latter's voice before the United Nations.
Following up with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on the proposal twice a month, Mykhailiuk said Ukraine understands that Philippines' priority is their contacts with neighboring countries.
"And we’ve seen the very fruitful visit to China, but we are still hoping that the intensification of the bilateral dialogue will be fruitful for our relations," he added.
Sought for comment, Malacañang and DFA have not responded yet.
If ever there will be a discussion, the diplomat said, Zelensky will seek Marcos' help through the participation or co-sponsorship of the Republic of the Philippines in the peace plan on the fields of United Nations.
"This might be the participation on this peace formula," he said, referring to the preparation of "events and means to achieve the goal set by the plan," which includes the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the punishment for Russian aggression.
In an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin in Cambodia in November, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine is considering establishing an embassy in the Philippines as it considers the latter useful to advance its voice before the UN.
Mykhailiuk said Ukraine is already hoping "that there will be some developments."