Russia goes ahead, the country has started joint naval exercises with the Philippine Navy. The unpredictability of Putin’s policies and its huge fleet arose many questions from Asian leaders but Duterte. On Tuesday morning, a Russian warship in Manila appeared for naval exercise near Manila.
The Philippine Navy started a naval exercise together with the warship from Russia’s Pacific Fleet docked in Manila. According to Singapore-based Straits Times, both the Russian vessels are in the Philippines for a ‘goodwill visit.’
Rodrigo Duterte as a president of Philippines expressed his desire to forge stronger ties with Russia as part of his administration’s pivot to an independent foreign policy. On Tuesday, manila said hello to the i) Russian Navy vessels Admiral Tributs, a large anti-submarine ship, and ii) Boris Butoma, a large sea tanker, docked at Manila South Harbor.
Russia and Philippines: joint naval exercise were approved last year
In December, Lorenzana had an official meeting with Alexander Fomin, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation. Officials met in Moscow to explore possible military cooperation. Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Pefecto Yasay Jr. also met with his Russian counterpart last year to discuss the current state of the relationship between the Philippines and Russia.
Now, the marines on board the Admiral Tributs are expected to show off their weapons and tactics on Thursday, the report said.
