WATCH: 'The Russians are with me,' says Duterte in warship

President Rodrigo Duterte together with Russian officials aboard the Russian ship Varyag.
Alexis Romero

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday visited the Russian guided missile ship Varyag docked at Pier 15 at Manila's South Harbor.

National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon and Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo joined Duterte, while being accompanied by Russia Ambassador Igor Khovev.

"The Russians are with me. So I shall not be afraid," Duterte said while flashing the fist gesture aboard the 'Varyag.'

The ship arrived on Thursday for a four-day goodwill visit as a means to strengthen the ties between Russia and the Philippines.

The visit marks Duterte's second tour on a Russian warship. In January, he went aboard a docked Russian destroyer Admiral Tributs as the government is pursuing an "independent" foreign policy that distances from the United States, the Philippines' traditional ally. — Video by Alexis Romero

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