Russia willing to ‘extend help’ to Philippines with energy sources, says envoy

Russian Ambassador Marat Pavlov on Monday said Russia is willing to cooperate with the Philippines amid the spike of oil prices due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters after his courtesy visit on President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Pavlov mentioned that oil and gas were among the topics discussed during their meeting.

Asked to elaborate on the matter, Pavlov said Russia is willing to extend assistance to the Philippines with its energy sources.

“We are ready to cooperate with [the] Philippine side to extend our helping hand to satisfy the needs in sources of energy,” Pavlov said.

Oil and gas prices have surged over Russian energy supplies and soaring inflation brought by the Russian-Ukraine war that started in February of this year.

The war stemmed from Russia’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine’s separatist territories, prompting other countries to impose economic sanctions on Russia, including cutting gas pipelines.

While the Philippines does not buy oil directly from Russia, its trading partners such as China, South Korea, and Japan do, according to the Department of Energy. —KBK, GMA News