Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thanked Russia for its “timely assistance” in defeating pro-Islamic State militants who took over a southern city for months, expressing his willingness to buy Russian weapons.
Duterte told Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam that he wants to build a strong armed force and a strong police hence they will buy arms from Russia.
China and Russia, whose relations with the Philippines have vastly improved in recent months, donated a total of 11,000 assault rifles and trucks to combat Islamist militants in the south.
A senior military official told reporters if the Russians and Chinese equipment can be comparable in quality, then they can be excellent alternatives to U.S. and Western equipment.
