Ukrainian servicemen are seen at a position on the front line with Russia-backed separatists near the town of Schastia, near the eastern Ukraine city of Lugansk, on February 23, 2022. (Photo by Anatolii Stepanov / AFP)
BANGKOK, Thailand — The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine is “unacceptable,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Saturday.
During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit here, most economies condemned the war and demanded that Russia make a full withdrawal of its military personnel from Ukraine.
Marcos, on the summit’s sidelines, was asked on his stand about the issue.
“Our foreign policy is based on the national interest and peace and that’s our guide. I think that people understand this very well that the ‘enemy to none friend to all’ policy still applies,” he told reporters in an interview.
“The war is unacceptable and we ask all parties involved. There were several speeches that I made. All of them included urging that peace be brought back to Ukraine and that the confrontation be brought to diplomatic space,” he added.
The President pointed out that the effect of the war is “not solely upon Ukraine or Russia.”
“It was made even clearer here in Apec, how the effects have been so far-reaching and profound and to the detriment of many economies and the food supply of everyone in the world,” he explained.
After the conflict started, prices of commodities in the Philippines soared amid financial sanctions imposed against Russia, a key oil producer.