Kremlin, Moscow
May 23, 2017

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin before returning to Manila.

During the meeting, President Duterte apologized and explained his reasons why he had to cut his trip short following the Marawi City incident. He also expressed the Philippines’ need for modern weapons and asked for a soft loan that can be used to purchase firearms for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in its fight against terrorist groups.

In reply, the Russian President thanked President Duterte for accepting his invitation and that he understands why he had to cut his trip short. President Putin also expressed his sympathies for the incident and hopes that the issue can be resolved with less loss. He also vowed for improved relations between the two countries.

Present during the meeting were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go. On the Russian side, there were Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov, Adviser to the President of the Foreign Affairs Yury Ushakov and Maxim Oreshkin from the Ministry of Economic Development.

President Putin, who was then out of Moscow, adjusted his schedule to catch up with President Duterte before his immediate return to Manila.

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