Marcos, Putin discuss boosting energy, food ties

MANILA, Philippines —  Despite having diplomatic relations for 50 years, the Philippines and Russia still have a lot of untapped opportunities for enhancing their cooperation in key areas, including energy, trade and food security.

This was highlighted during President Marcos’ first-ever bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday in Kazan.

Marcos was on a three-day working visit to Russia.

Putin noted that bilateral trade between the two countries has exceeded $500 million, but “that is by no means the ceiling.”

“There is clear potential to expand supplies of both agricultural products and energy resources,” the Russian leader told Marcos.

“Today, we have a good opportunity, Mr. President, to evaluate the current stage of Russia-Philippines cooperation,” he added.

Putin said effective mechanisms are in place to strengthen collaboration, including the Joint Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation (JCTEC).

Marcos echoed this, saying energy and food security emerged as one of the mutual priorities of the two countries during the JCTEC meeting held in Moscow last September.

“As you have mentioned, your excellency... there are many potential areas that I think we should still (be) open to explore, and I think that the present level of trade, although it is steady, I think... there is a great deal more that we can do,” Marcos said.

Marcos said the business-to-business component on the sidelines of the JCTEC enabled the Philippines and Russia to establish networks and explore joint ventures.

According to earlier reports, the Philippines bought about 1.5 million barrels of crude oil from Russia after the US lifted the sanctions on Russian fuel imports for 30 days to ease the impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route. The United Nations has imposed trade sanctions on Russia because of its attack on Ukraine.

The Philippines also intends to boost its tourism cooperation with Russia.

Philippine Ambassador to Russia Igor Garlit Bailen said a number of Russian airlines are seeking approvals for direct flights to the Philippines’ key tourist destinations. Russian tourists, the ambassador added, are interested in tourist spots like Boracay and El Nido.

“And this year, we are waiting for development from the Civil Aeronautics Board of the Philippines because the S7 Siberian Airlines applied to be able to fly again from Siberia, from the cities of Irkutsk, Vladivostok and Khabarovsk to Manila and to Cebu,” Bailen said in an interview with Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro.

“We are developing that so that in terms of economic relationship, tourism is a very important part of the economic relationship and there is great potential, aside from the traditional exports, imports of oil, energy and food,” he added.

About 2.1 million Russians visited countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the first nine months of 2025. However, more than half of them or about 1.5 million chose to travel to Thailand, especially Phuket.

“There are a lot of Russian tourists in Bali and other parts of Indonesia. And of course there are direct flights between St. Petersburg and Ho Chi Minh City and between Moscow and Hanoi in Vietnam,” Bailen said.

Also during the bilateral meeting, Putin greeted the Philippines on its Independence Day celebration on June 12. He noted that Russia also celebrates its national holiday, the Day of Russia