Marcos heads to Russia for Putin meeting as ASEAN chair, energy and food security top agenda

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is flying to Russia this week for a face-to-face with Vladimir Putin — it's the first time the two leaders will meet since Marcos took office.

The Philippine president will be in Kazan, Russia, from June 17 to 19 for the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit, marking 35 years of dialogue relations between the bloc and Moscow. Marcos will co-chair the summit as ASEAN chair alongside Putin.

On the sidelines, Marcos and Putin will hold a bilateral meeting. The Department of Foreign Affairs says the discussion will center on the 50th anniversary of Philippines-Russia diplomatic relations and ways to strengthen cooperation on energy security and food security.

Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and trade department officials are part of the delegation.

"The ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit holds particular significance for the Philippines. It will mark President Marcos' first visit to the Russian Federation as president," said DFA Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier Imperial, the ASEAN spokesperson, in a June 15 briefing.

The summit will adopt the Kazan Declaration 2026 — a shared vision for the partnership — plus joint statements on energy and cultural cooperation. A Comprehensive Plan of Action 2026-2030 will serve as the roadmap for cooperation across political-security, economic, and socio-cultural pillars.

Areas of cooperation include bio-safety, outer space and satellite applications, energy and food security, science and technology, trade and investment, tourism, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

But the timing is awkward. Russia is still waging war on Ukraine and remains under Western sanctions. The US and EU have sanctions in place, and the Philippines itself needed a waiver from Washington to buy Russian oil after the Iran-Israel conflict disrupted global oil markets.

Unsurprisingly, Ukraine won't be on the summit agenda. Imperial said the outcome documents will focus only on cooperation, and there will be no statement on Ukraine. In 2022, ASEAN foreign ministers did express "deep concern" over the situation and called for respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Myanmar, which has been under military rule since the 2021 coup and is barred from ASEAN leaders' meetings, is the country-coordinator for ASEAN-Russia dialogue relations. The junta is represented at the working level by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The DFA frames the Marcos-Putin meeting as a tribute to decades of bilateral ties and a benefit to the region, especially under the Philippines' ASEAN chairmanship. But for like-minded Philippine partners — and observers — the meeting will be closely watched as a sign of Manila's balancing act between the West and Russia.