Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday, June 3, that Ukraine will open an embassy in the Philippines.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shake hands during a bilateral meeting held in Malacañang on Monday, June 3, 2024. (KJ Rosales/PPA Pool)
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief revealed this during his unannounced bilateral meeting with President Marcos held in Malacañang on Monday morning.
“And I am also very happy that this year we will open Embassy in Manila, that’s very good decision,” he said.
Before the meeting, Marcos witnessed Zelenskyy signing the Palace guestbook.
The bilateral meeting between the two leaders came as a surprise after both of them attended last week’s 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
However, they did not meet in Singapore.
Zelenskyy thanked the Philippines for its support to Ukraine’s ongoing war with Russia, while Marcos expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian president for taking the time to visit Manila despite being preoccupied with the current crisis in his country.
In February last year, both leaders talked on the phone about deepening the Philippines-Ukraine relationship.
Marcos, in a remark in November 2022, described the war between the two European countries as “unacceptable” and urged both parties to resolve the conflict diplomatically.
Russia started invading Ukraine in February 2022.