DFA calls for peace as Ukraine marks 2nd year of invasion

MANILA — Philippine officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its call for a “peaceful and diplomatic resolution” as Russian invasion of Ukraine marked its second year.

Moscow started the invasion of Kyiv in February 2022, with Russian President Vladimir Putin aiming for the “denazification” of the fellow former Soviet constituent republic.

“The Philippine underscores the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the [United Nations] Charter,” said the DFA in a statement on Saturday.

“The Philippines has articulated its principled position on Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, voting in favor of the six resolutions of the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine.”

Putin’s claim of battling neo-Nazis, whom he alleges committed violent crimes against civilians and Russian citizens, is noteworthy, especially considering that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is of Jewish descent and has family ties to the Holocaust.

Around 50,000 civilians have since been killed, according to the estimates of Ukraine.

Leaked US intelligence from last December revealed that over 315,000 Russian troops were either killed or wounded during the mentioned offensive.

“The Philippines reiterates its call on concerned Parties to seek a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the conflict,” the DFA said.

“We recall the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputed which reaffirms the principle that all States shall settle their disputes by peaceful means.”