Duterte thanks Putin for weapons

DANANG, Vietnam: President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday warmly thanked Russian leader Vladimir Putin for shipping weapons to the Philippine military, adding that he would

“I want to pass on words of thanks from the Philippine people for the timely aid that Russia provided by giving us trucks and weapons,” he said as the two Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit

Duterte said the military “was delighted at the weapons” in remarks

Last month Russia handed over army trucks and thousands of Ka during a visit by Russian Defense visit by a Russian defense minister

The weapons shipment is also

The Philippine military in October declared an end to a city of Marawi where the poorly equipped army struggled to oust militants loyal to the Islamic

“These are high-precision weap

He said he initially intended to buy weapons in the US but “the United States has equal authority of Congress and President, so it

Duterte last year threatened to sever defense ties with the United States following criticism from the administration of former US leader Barack Obama over his crackdown on drugs, which has seen police kill

However relations warmed under

“The weapons we received from Russia, modern weapons, were to continue buying these weapons

AFP/SPUTNIK PHOTO GRATEFUL Russian President Vladimir Putin (center), accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (right), meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in the central...