Duterte, Putin vow Philippines-Russia cooperation vs. COVID-19

President Rodrigo Duterte and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed that their respective countries will cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Malacañang said Tuesday.

In a statement, the Palace said Duterte and Putin reaffirmed their shared commitment to further enhance cooperation as the Philippines and Russia commemorated the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Duterte also thanked Putin for Russia’s commitment to bolster  cooperation in various areas, including fighting the pandemic.

Malacañang said both chief executives discussed the global and regional vaccine landscape, noting  that vaccines such as Russia’s Sputnik V “must be mobilized to as many countries as possible.”

Earlier in the day, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said the Philippine government is expecting to receive 20 million Sputnik V doses in the next four months.

Malacañang said the two leaders stressed the importance of ramping up global production and supplies of the Sputnik V vaccine.

“Both leaders also noted the steady progress in defense and security cooperation between the two countries, fostered by regular exchanges between defense, intelligence and military agencies, and vowed to sustain the momentum gained over the past five years,” it added.

Meanwhile, Putin emphasized the many opportunities for greater cooperation in the fields of trade and investments, agriculture and energy development even as both countries work on further enhancing political-security cooperation.

Further, Duterte reiterated his invitation for Putin to visit the Philippines as soon as circumstances allow, which the Russian leader welcomed. --NB, GMA News