Manila, Mar. 10, (dpa/GNA) – The Philippines is prepared to open its facilities to the United States should the conflict in Ukraine escalate and America is dragged into the crisis, the country’s ambassador to the US said Thursday.
Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said President Rodrigo Duterte told him in a recent meeting in Manila to let Washington know that the Philippines will back the US on the Ukraine crisis.
“He says if they’re asking for the support of the Philippines, it’s very clear that, of course, if push comes to shove, the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region,” Romualdez said.
“(The president) offered that the Philippines will be ready to open its doors, especially to our ally, the US, in using our facilities, any facilities they may need,” he added in an online media forum.
Among the facilities that US forces would be allowed to access are the former American air and naval bases in the northern Philippines, he said.
Russian troops attacked Ukraine on February 24, drawing international condemnation, warnings and sanctions.
While Duterte has cultivated closer ties with US rivals Russia and China since he became president in 2016, Romualdez said the president “knows that this thing happening right now in Ukraine is something that should not have happened because it was unprovoked.”
The Philippines also has a mutual defence treaty with the US, which binds the two allies to come to each other’s aid in cases of aggression.
GNA