June 8, 2026
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-Russia Summit in Kazan this month, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“We look forward to welcoming in Kazan the heads of all Asean member states, especially the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.,” Lavrov wrote in an article posted on the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry website over the weekend.
He penned the article for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Manila and Moscow on June 2.
Malacañang has yet to publicly confirm whether Marcos will attend the Asean-Russia Summit scheduled for June 17 to 18 in Kazan, considered Russia’s third capital. The city hosted the 2024 BRICS summit and has become a preferred venue for Russia’s multilateral diplomacy with the Global South.
According to Lavrov, the summit is set to become the “centerpiece of the commemorative events” marking the 35th anniversary of Asean-Russia relations.
Among the agenda items are discussions on “future mutually beneficial cooperation” in trade, investment, energy, agriculture, digitalization, science, technology and innovation, education, tourism, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
Russia is also seeking to expand its strategic partnership with the bloc, Lavrov said during a phone call with Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro on May 27, “taking into account Manila’s chairmanship of Asean in 2026.”
While Asean as a whole maintains a neutral stance in its relations with Russia, its 11 member states hold varying positions on Moscow and its activities.
Several Asean members are perceived to be aligned with the United States, which has a complex relationship with Russia and its ally in Asia, China.
Other members of the bloc, such as Vietnam and Laos, maintain extensive trade and security ties with China and Russia. Both countries abstained from the United Nations General Assembly resolution concerning Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
US, Ukraine ties
The Philippines is a treaty ally of the United States, and relations between the two countries have grown more active under the Marcos administration, particularly through the expansion of American military access to Philippine bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement and the development of the multibillion-dollar Luzon Economic Corridor.
The Philippines also maintains warm ties with Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President Marcos at Malacañang in June 2024, and the two leaders also held a phone call in November 2025.
“Russia notes with appreciation the balanced position taken by the Philippines’ leadership on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict and its understanding of the root causes of the conflict,” Lavrov said.
He noted that Russia opposes the militarization of the Asia-Pacific and rejects the expansion of military blocs that threaten to undermine Asean’s central role in the regional security architecture—a position also shared by its ally China, particularly in the South and East China Seas, which Beijing claims in their entirety.
After Marcos declared a year-long national emergency in March over fuel supply disruptions amid the Middle East crisis, Russia has quietly positioned itself as an alternative source of crude oil for energy-stressed Asean members, including the Philippines.
Marcos said the Philippines is conducting government-to-government negotiations to secure fuel supplies from other countries, including Russia. Manila, however, must first obtain clearance from Washington to avoid sanctions.
In March, Petron Corporation, led by tycoon Ramon Ang, acquired 2.48 million barrels of crude oil from Russia to boost its stockpile through the end of June as the Iran war continues to disrupt global fuel supplies.
Washington has yet to publicly comment on Marcos’ attendance at the summit.
Lazaro met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C., on Friday to discuss a range of bilateral economic and security priorities, including the Philippines’ Asean chairmanship and efforts to advance peace and security in the South China Sea.
Meanwhile, Singapore, another U.S. ally in the region, has yet to confirm whether its leader will attend the summit in Kazan.
The wealthy city-state has strongly opposed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and imposed sanctions on Moscow. In response, Russia placed Singapore on its list of “unfriendly countries” alongside other U.S. allies.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte met with Putin twice during his presidency, which Lavrov said made “a significant contribution to broadening cooperation” between the Philippines and Russia.
Duterte first visited Moscow in May 2017 but cut short his trip to declare martial law during the Marawi siege.
He returned for a full official visit to Moscow and Sochi in October 2019. /mcm