By MICHAELA DEL CALLAR
Russia is open to any kind of defense cooperation with the Philippines, including the resumption of talks for the shelved $38-million militaryhelicoptercontract that Filipino officials earlier canceled due to fear of United States sanctions, its top envoy to Manila said Wednesday.
Ambassador Marat Pavlov also said Russia is committed to strengthening its bilateral ties with the Philippines, noting that he sees “a lot of potential” for collaboration in key areas, such as trade and investments, energy, including “peaceful use of nuclear energy,” health, the maritime sector, agriculture, and tourism.
“It takes two to tango. We are ready to fulfill our part until now if the Philippine government will change its position,” Pavlov told reporters in a chance interview when asked if the Philippine government was able to get the entire deposit it paid for the 16 heavy-lift helicopters.
Asked if Russia is still keen on pursuing the helicopter deal, the envoy, who delivered a lecture at the Department of Foreign Affairs' Foreign Service Institute, said, “It’s up to the Philippine side to propose to change its position,” adding it was not the Russian side that reneged on the military deal.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte approved a deal to buy Mi-17Russian helicoptersbut decided to terminate the contract due to fears of Western sanctions.
In an official letter to then President Duterte dated June 26, 2022, former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he had informedRussianaircraft manufacturer Sovtechnoexport LLC that the contract agreement for the choppers, including a bonus “VIP helicopter,” had been terminated.
“Terminating the contract is the prudent thing to do, as sanctions under the US law—Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which the US is threatening to impose on us should we continue with theRussianhelicopter deal—will adversely affect our country,” Lorenzana said in the letter.
The existing US sanctions legislation prohibits the purchase of military equipment from countries likeRussia, particularly after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In August 2022, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that it was canceling the procurement due to “changes in priorities necessitated by global political developments.”
After ending the contract with Russia, Manila acquired 10 Blackhawkhelicoptersfrom the US in 2024. The multi-rolehelicopters, utilized for search and rescue and humanitarian aid, are part of a contract for 32 Sikorsky Black Hawkhelicoptersmanufactured by Lockheed Martin under the Philippines' defense modernization program.
But as far as his country is concerned, Pavlov stressed that Russia’s position is very clear and that it intends to “enhance cooperation and build friendship” with the Philippines.
“We are ready to cooperate in different fields, including military technical cooperation,” he said, noting that Russia-Philippines cooperation “is very important.”
“We want to maintain friendly relations with the Philippines under President Marcos,” he said.
The US, a long-time treaty ally of the Philippines, is the country’s biggest supplier of military hardware and arms.
They are bound by a 1951 defense treaty, which calls on the US to come to the Philippines’ aid in the event of an armed attack. Both sides also conduct annual military drills. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
