The Philippine president admires Putin's leadership qualities.

During a meeting with his Russian counterpart in Peru, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed admiration for Vladimir Putin's leadership qualities and added that Putin represents a great country.

The Philippine president admires Putin's leadership qualities.

Duterte also noted that, today, "Western nations are trying to attack and intimidate smaller nations, which shows their hypocrisy." As an example, he cited the belligerence of the United States, which has caused conflicts around the world. "That is a destructive policy," Duterte emphasized.

For his part, Putin congratulated his Philippine counterpart on his victory in the presidential election, which took place on May 9th. Putin noted that on that day, the Russian Federation commemorated its victory in the Great Patriotic War.

"For me personally, this is also a day of victory," the Russian leader said. The bilateral meeting between Putin and Duterte took place in Lima, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit opened on Saturday.

According to Sputnik