UKRAINIAN President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for backing the Eastern European nation amid its ongoing conflict with Russia.
On Twitter, Zelensky bared that he and Marcos “had the first phone call in the history of bilateral relations” with the Philippines, where he supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
He also said they talked about strengthening the cooperation between Ukraine and the Philippines, particularly on international platforms.
“Had the first phone call in the history of bilateral relations with the President of the Philippines @bongbongmarcos,” Zelenskyy said Monday night.
“Thanked him for supporting sovereignty & territorial integrity of . We discussed further deepening of cooperation, in particular on international platforms,” he added
Malacañang has yet to issue a statement about the phone conversation between the two leaders.
In June last year, the Ukrainian government requested for a phone meeting between Zelenskyy and Marcos, hoping to discuss a number of bilateral issues.
Marcos, during a media interview last month, said that the Philippines was “happy to provide any expression of support” that the Ukrainian government would need during its ongoing conflict with Russia.
“I have no problem with talking to President Zelensky, especially now that the war there is heating up. So of course we are again on the side of this, and that remains to say that any expressions of support that he might feel is needed, we are happy to provide,” he said.
Asked whether the Philippine government was willing to co-sponsor Ukraine’s peace plan, Marcos said the matter was for Kyiv and Moscow to discuss.
The 10-point peace plan outlined by Zelenskyy before the United Nations includes the “restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and seeking punishment for Russia’s aggression, including the implementation of sanctions and the creation of a tribunal to punish Russia for invading Ukraine.”
“That’s not for us to decide, those details are should there be talks, between Ukraine and Russia. They should talk there (they should talk about that),” the President said.
“We support any effort for peace, anything, as long as the killing stops, the war stops. That’s the first thing. And then how they will do it (to stop the killings, to stop the war. How they will do that), what they would do with the territories… and etc, that is really clearly between the two countries,” he added.