Philippine president wants to be friends with Trump, Putin
Rodrigo Duterte, who called Obama ‘son of a bitch’ and sought to sever ties with Washington, says he has no beef with president-elect
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The Philippine president, who has in the past attacked Barack Obama for criticizing his deadly anti-drug crackdown, congratulated Donald Trump for a “well-deserved victory” and said he is excited to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit.
President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been criticized for his foul language as well as the drug crackdown, gave upbeat remarks about the president-elect and Putin in a late-Tuesday news conference.
Asked whether his ties with America can improve under Trump, Duterte replied: “I’m sure, we have no quarrel. I can always be a friend to anybody.”
Duterte said he has sought a meeting with Putin, who he added also loves guns, at the APEC summit in Peru and wants their countries to be the “best of friends.”
Until Duterte came to power in June, Manila was one of the United States’ closest allies in Asia, and it was viewed as a vital link in the political “pivot” or “re-balancing” of US policy toward the Asia-Pacific region under Obama.
But the Philippine president has since made inflammatory statements directed at Obama. He voiced willingness to request the withdrawal of American troops from his country and has called the US president a “son of a bitch.”
Late last month Duterte had announced his country’s “separation” from the United States and called for an end within two years to the presence of “foreign military troops” — a clear reference to American forces.
Duterte later struck a more conciliatory tone, saying there would be no “severance of ties” with Washington. He added that Manila would simply pursue a more independent line in foreign affairs while improving its ties with Beijing.
The Times of Israel Community.