Ukraine, Philippines Expand Defense Ties

Ukraine and the Philippines have agreed to begin work on a defense arrangement focused on drone cooperation and the exchange of military experience, according to Ukraine’s presidential office. The agreement followed a meeting in Kyiv between Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Salvador Mison, the Philippine undersecretary of national defense.

Mison led the first official delegation from the Philippine Department of National Defense to visit Ukraine since the two countries established diplomatic relations. The visit builds on bilateral discussions that began during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s trip to the Philippines in 2024.

Zhovkva thanked the Philippines for supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in international forums. The officials agreed that their teams would establish a dialogue to share Ukraine’s wartime experience and develop new defense practices under the proposed “Drone Deal” framework.

The meeting also addressed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine’s relationship with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. With the Philippines chairing ASEAN this year, Zhovkva said Ukraine hopes to receive Philippine support for obtaining ASEAN sectoral dialogue partner status. He also expressed hope that the Philippines would soon open a fully functioning embassy in Kyiv.