Marcos, Zelensky talk, hope for end to Ukraine war

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has spoken over the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wherein he expressed hope that the conflict in Ukraine would be resolved peacefully.

Zelenskyy announced on Monday night that he had talked with Marcos, describing their conversation as the “first phone call in the history of bilateral relations” with the Philippine president.?

“Thanked him (Marcos) for supporting sovereignty and territorial integrity (of Ukraine). We discussed further deepening of cooperation, in particular on international platforms,” Zelenskyy posted on Twitter.?

Marcos confirmed the phone conversation in a Twitter post yesterday.?

“I had the pleasure of talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday,” Marcos said in the post. “I told him that we in the Philippines are watching with admiration, the bravery and the nationalism that has been displayed by the Ukrainians during this crisis, and that we join in his effort to reach a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in his country.”

More than 7,100 persons have been killed and about 11,700 others have been injured since Russia started its armed offensive against Ukraine in February last year, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by explosive weapons with wide-range effects including shelling from heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles and air strikes, the OHCHR said in a report.?

“OHCHR believes that the actual figures are considerably higher as the receipt of information from some locations where intense hostilities have been going on has been delayed and many reports are still pending corroboration,” the report read.?

Last month, Denys Mykhailiu, chargé d’affaires of the Ukrainian embassy in Malaysia, revealed that his government formally requested a phone call between Marcos and Zelenskyy in June last year.

Mykhailiu said the Philippines’ participation in and sponsoring of the UN peace plan would be discussed if the phone call between the two leaders pushes through.?

In an interview with journalists last month, Marcos said he was open to talking to Zelenskyy and that the Philippines would be “on the side of peace.”

The Philippines is one of 141 countries that backed a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during an emergency session of the UN General Assembly.

It also joined 92 other countries in supporting a resolution that suspended Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.?

“On Russia and Ukraine – the Philippines urges all parties to continue adopting peaceful means to maintain international peace and security,” Marcos said in a forum organized by the Asia Society in New York last September.