Marcos-Zelensky love-in underlines Manila’s strategic shift

MANILA – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a surprise visit to Manila, wherein he thanked his Philippine counterpart for agreeing to attend the upcoming Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland.

The Ukrainian leader had hoped to meet Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where the latter was the keynote speaker, but scheduling conflicts prevented the two leaders from meeting so Zelensky decided to fly directly to Manila instead.

During his visit to the Malacañang Palace, the Ukrainian leader thanked the Marcos Jr administration for sending a “very strong signal” of solidarity and support by agreeing to attend the high-level peace summit, which excludes Russia and has been boycotted by China and its allies.

Zelensky also thanked his Filipino hosts for their “clear position” on Russia’s “occupation of our territories,” referring to the Philippines’ consistent record of supporting Ukraine in five different United Nations resolutions during the first year of the conflict. Only Japan and South Korea, both major democracies, have had similar voting records in the region.

Underscoring his commitment to long-term strategic cooperation, the Ukrainian leader vowed to open a new embassy in Manila while seeking the Philippines’ assistance in dealing with post-war trauma among large numbers of Ukrainian soldiers.

Renowned for its world-class healthcare professionals, the Southeast Asian nation is in a unique position to provide desperately needed medical help to the war-ravaged nation.

Zelensky’s historic visit to Manila is also part of a broader effort to forge an “alliance of democracies” among besieged nations from Eastern Europe to the Western Pacific facing