Philippine President Ignoring Zelenskyy’s Phone Call Since June

Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has been ignoring the Ukrainian government’s efforts to arrange a call between him and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss the Philippines’ role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

“We are requesting a phone call between the President of Ukraine and at that time, President-elect Marcos, but we haven’t gotten a reply from the presidential office yet,” said Denys Mykhailiuk, the Chargé d’affaires of the Ukraine Embassy in Malaysia.

In a press briefing with Philippine reporters, Mykhailiuk pointed out they had contacted Marcos through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) twice a month since June 2022.

“They will be discussing participation or cosponsoring on the Peace Formula, which is to be presented on the fields of the [United Nations] on [February 24, 2023], as well as bilateral agenda,” he added.

Marcos was still president-elect when Ukraine first contacted him but Mykhailiuk said there had been informal follow-ups since then.

“I have contacts with the DFA, and I am asking our desk officer, for let’s say, twice a month, it’s not a formal wiring because they already have the formal one,” he stated.