THE latest incident of (unnecessary) embarrassment that the country suffered was the meeting in Kazan, Russia, between President Marcos Jr. and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sideline of the 35th Russia-ASEAN Summit last June 17. A video footage of the meeting showed PBBM unable to properly placed his earphone (for the translation), with Putin smilingly telling him how to do it.
From the press releases, both sides said the talks centered on “boosting” trade and energy ties not only between the two countries but between Russia and ASEAN where PBBM is the current Chair.
Interviewed right after the meeting, however, PBBM admitted his fear of being accused of helping Russia “fund” its ongoing special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine should our trade volume with Russia increased.
Can’t you see the contradiction, dear readers? On the one hand, PBBM claims eagerness to boost trade with Russia. On the other, he is fearful of being slammed by his Western backers of helping Russia fund its military campaign in Ukraine that they are sponsoring for the last 4 years.
The pragmatic that they are and taking full measure of the present administration, there is no doubt in Russia’s mind that nothing would come out of this meeting with PBBM whom they—and many others too—considered as a mere vassal of US Imperialism.
Besides, our annual trade with Russia is so small– $5 billion, according to PBBM—that Russia certainly would not lose sleep over it. And yes, they are certainly aware that as a US puppet state, we cannot trade with Russia without US approval, as admitted by the DFA during a Senate hearing last April.
And why would Russia believe a man—even if he claims to be the “greatest promoter of peace”—who twice met with the fascist leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky– and who scuttled the helicopter deal with Russia for fear of being scolded by Washington and for which we lost P2 billion as initial deposit?
In December 2024, PBBM too made a “mountain out of a molehill” when he expressed concern over the peaceful passage of a Russian submarine in Philippine waters, claiming it threatens our “national security.” But converting huge tracks of our territory into American bases complete with missiles and troops is not a threat?
Early this month, Kyrgyzstan a tiny country in Central Asia, smothered BBM’s ambition of the Philippines getting the non-permanent seat for the Asia-Pacific region of the UN Security Council.
That defeat, dear readers, is one national humiliation that Malacañang would rather not discuss as it centered on the global community’s perception that we are just an American puppet state preventing to be sovereign.
And guess who worked actively behind the scenes to ensure that Kyrgyzstan, a country one would find hard to locate in the map or spell its name correctly on the first try, can overwhelm us when the voting starts? The person in front of PBBM in the Kazan meeting, Putin. And farther behind, China, of course.
The Putin-PBBM meeting also informed us that the Russian leader has been invited to Manila for the ASEAN Summit later this year, the very first time that a Russian head of state would visit the country, an event that would immensely add to the prestige of BBM as global leader.
Well, up to the time you are reading this, Russia has yet to issue a reply.
Aside from us not being considered a “friend” or at the level of say, Burkina Fasso, why would Russia risk the security of its paramount leader by going into a country notorious for being a “collaborator” of the International Criminal Court (ICC))? Remember that the ICC also has a pending warrant of arrest against Putin.
If our government can deport to the ICC a former president—while planning to deport several more despite us no longer being a member—what would it take for BBM to also not agree to arrest Putin on his arrival when prodded by the ICC or Uncle Sam?
The Russians are smiling and diplomatic every inch of the way but certainly, they are not fools.
Who do you think is?