Ukraine must schedule an appointment with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. before a phone conversation with Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky could push through, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.
DFA Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta made this remark after Denys Mykhailiuk, the chargé d’affaires of the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia bared that Ukraine has yet to receive a response from the Philippines despite having made a formal request since June last year.
“If he wants this to happen, we have to discuss it. These things are arranged, talking points are discussed…It’s not good diplomatic practice to be doing it the way he did,” Sorreta said in a Palace press briefing.
Sorreta also maintained that the Philippines continues to have a “good relationship” with Ukraine, but the envoy’s decision to air his grievances publicly does not sit well with him.
Sorreta deplored as “not good diplomatic practice” for the Ukrainian diplomat for telling members of the Philippine press that the government is not responding to Ukraine’s request for the said phone talk between the two leaders.
“Ukraine is a country we have a good relationship with but when matters like these are vented by representatives of another government…it’s not something we appreciate,” he added.
Mykhailiuk earlier bared that it has contacted Malacañang “twice a month” since June last year, but it has not responded to Ukraine’s request for a dialogue between Marcos and Zelensky to discuss the war against Russia.
The Ukrainian envoy also said his government has been making follow-ups, but the Palace has not responded to them yet since June 2022.
Should the phone conversation between the two leaders push through, Mykhailiuk said Zelensky will seek Marcos’ help through the participation or co-sponsorship of the Philippines in the peace plan on the fields of the United Nations (UN) in February this year.
The Peace Formula, outlined by Zelenskyy in September last year, aims to punish Russia for crimes of aggression including implementing sanctions, such as trade and travel bans.
It “punishes aggression, protects life, restores security and territorial integrity, guarantees security, and highlights the importance of determination”, according to the UN website.
In November last year, Marcos described the Russia-Ukraine war “unacceptable” and reiterated his call for both nations to end conflict diplomatically.
Ukraine has been in conflict with Russia since February 2022, leading to the death of thousands and driving millions of Ukrainians to flee the country.
DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said DFA Sec. Enrique Manalo and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba already met at the sidelines of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits in Cambodia.
Daza said the Philippines already issued its stand on the Ukraine-Russia conflict through a UN resolution as well as through a joint statement in the joint statement of the ASEAN and European Union leaders in Brussels in December.