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ASEAN of Hope: Philippines requested Marcos Jr.'s first face-to-face meeting with Putin
The Philippines has officially requested a bilateral meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vladimir Putin at the Russia–ASEAN summit in Kazan, the republic's ambassador to Moscow Igor Bailen told Izvestia. This will be the first face-to-face conversation between the leaders of the two countries, but there are no plans to sign bilateral documents. According to the diplomat, Manila also hopes for a visit by the Russian leader before the end of the year. The Kazan Summit will become a key platform for restarting Moscow's economic relations with the countries of the union and moving from political contacts to real large-scale projects.
Philippines awaits Putin at ASEAN summit
Vladimir Putin will arrive in Kazan to participate in the fifth Russia–Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which will be held from June 17 to 19. The Russian president will have to hold a large number of bilateral talks, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, it will be "a marathon."
In particular, a meeting with the head of the Philippines is expected, which will be the first personal conversation between the two leaders.
— We have requested from the Russian side a meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Vladimir Putin. So, I think this will be their first meeting. In addition to the ASEAN–Russia summit, they will, of course, be able to discuss some progress in the bilateral dialogue between the Philippines and Russia," the country's ambassador to Moscow, Igor Bailen, told Izvestia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
The arrival of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Russia is a major diplomatic success for Moscow, given Manila's traditionally close ties with Washington.
— There are no plans to sign any new agreements in Kazan. The meeting will be short, as the Russian president is likely to have bilateral meetings with almost all 11 ASEAN countries, but there will definitely be a joint press conference with Presidents Putin and Marcos after the summit on June 18," the ambassador said.
At the same time, the Philippines, which holds the ASEAN presidency, expects Putin to attend the 49th summit, which will be held in Manila this November.
"We hope that Vladimir Vladimirovich will become the first Russian head of state to ever visit the Philippines,— said Igor Bailen.
The Philippines' interest in Russia is dictated solely by pragmatic interests and the desire to diversify foreign relations.
The Philippine side is exploring the possibility of direct purchases of crude oil and petroleum products from the Russian Federation on a regular basis. At the end of March 2026, the Philippines received a large shipment of Russian oil, but it was an emergency delivery amid the Middle East crisis.
— There are prospects for supplies. Manila can consider Russia as one of the important suppliers, including LNG, along with the Australians and Americans," Alexander Korolev, Deputy Director of the Central Research Institute of Higher School of Economics, told Izvestia.
Manila is also considering Russian technologies (including small modular nuclear reactors from Rosatom) as a tool for modernizing its energy system, he noted.
Why is ASEAN important for Russia
A high level of representation is expected, in particular, from Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia. At the same time, the ASEAN architecture assumes a consensus model, so even those countries that are under severe pressure from the West send high-ranking officials to Kazan. There were no open, demonstrative refusals from the dialogue on the part of the organization. Even Singapore, which has taken the toughest stance against Russia among all the countries in the bloc, retains channels of communication with the Russian side. Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is expected to attend the summit in Kazan.
The technical preparation of the forum by the association is provided by Brunei, the official coordinating country of the Russia—ASEAN dialogue partnership for a three-year cycle (2024-2027). It is the Brunei diplomats who act as a link, shaping the agenda and smoothing out the sharp corners. Laos also plays an important role, which, based on its recent experience as chairman of the association and historically friendly ties with Moscow, is actively lobbying to maintain a high level of representation.
Nevertheless, the US pressure on the ASEAN countries is very strong — because of this, many countries of the association are afraid to trade with Russia in national currencies, Korolev noted. Vietnam is the only country that has correspondent accounts in Russian rubles. All other countries, even those that accept Mir cards — Myanmar, Laos — are afraid to do this, Korolev claims.
— Various projects have been repeatedly frozen due to sanctions, for example, arms supplies to Indonesia or the construction of wind farms in Vietnam - the Power Machines project. Europe is also exerting pressure, but it has fewer levers and resources," the expert noted.
Europeans are increasingly entering the region and promoting their cultural, humanitarian, and economic agenda. For example, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently flew to France and ordered the introduction of French as compulsory in schools.
But Russia still has its own strategic trump cards. These are fertilizer supplies, and here Russia prevails over the United States and the Europeans, Korolev is sure. In addition, these are aluminum exports, partly food supplies.
— Russia really can and is already capable of becoming, if not a guarantor, then an important player — on a par with the United States and the Europeans, and somewhere even higher - in the energy and food markets. Russia is an important supplier of energy and food security for Southeast Asia. This is a real strategic advantage of Russia, and Moscow has already outstripped the Europeans here, it is at a comparable level of influence with the United States," the expert added.
Meanwhile, ASEAN is also important for Moscow. This is a neutral platform, which, despite all its internal difficulties, embodies the movement towards multipolarity. Therefore, from a strategic and reputational point of view, it is important for Russia to develop relations with ASEAN and integrate some of the countries of the association into BRICS, which has already been done using the example of four states. Indonesia is considered a full member of the BRICS, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have the status of partner countries. Cooperation with ASEAN is important in terms of the overall message that Russia is not isolated. In addition, cooperation with this organization shows that the Russian Federation is not limited only to China.
ASEAN is a large market with more than 650 million people, to which Russia can supply its products.
— Our relations with the ASEAN countries are mainly political in nature. We have practically no serious disagreements here, we have a common view on a number of international problems and conflicts, and this creates the basis for political cooperation," Dmitry Mosyakov, head of the Center for the Study of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
China absolutely dominates trade with ASEAN, its trade with the region exceeds American figures by almost twice, European figures by 3.5 times, and Russian figures by 26 times. ASEAN's trade turnover with China exceeds $1 trillion, with the United States — $500 billion, with the EU — it is at the level of $300 billion. Russia's total is about $23-24 billion.
The main task of the summit is to transform political cooperation into the implementation of serious economic projects, Mosyakov is convinced. There is potential for this — Indonesia, for example, has already invited Russian companies to participate in the implementation of major railway projects, including the construction of transport corridors in Sumatra, Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Moscow has signed an agreement with Vietnam on the construction of a nuclear power plant. The Russian Federation is also discussing the issue of small nuclear power plants with Myanmar.
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