Philippines and Ukraine tighten strategic ties

The Philippines and Ukraine vowed to strengthen their strategic partnership at a high-level forum hosted by the Stratbase Institute together with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and China’s illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea.

Held on Sept. 23, 2025, the forum titled “Strengthening Strategic Ties: Enhancing Cooperation between the Philippines and Ukraine” gathered lawmakers, diplomats, military leaders, and security experts from both nations who emphasized that defending sovereignty today requires resilience, innovation, and cooperation with like-minded democracies.

Stratbase Institute President Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit underscored that both nations face coercion and incursions that threaten sovereignty.

“Ukraine is courageously defending its territory against outright armed aggression, while the Philippines asserts its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea in the face of coercion and incursions. Deeper cooperation between the Philippines and Ukraine is both urgent and strategic,” he said.

Ukrainian Ambassador Yuliia Fediv said the partnership is grounded in shared values.

“Ukraine and the Philippines, though geographically distant, are connected by a number of shared values and parallel experiences. Both of our nations are committed to defending sovereignty, territorial integrity, and upholding a rule-based international order,” she noted.

Dr. Hanna Shelest, Director of the Security Studies Program at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism,” drew parallels between Europe’s Black Sea and Asia’s contested waters.

“The Philippines delegation was the only one who stood and openly said, if you don’t understand why it is important for all of us… you’re just not understanding the security challenges that we are facing,” she shared.

Ukrainian Member of Parliament Tamila Tasheva suggested there are more similarities between the Philippines and Ukraine than commonly discussed.

“Both of our countries face stronger neighbors which test the limits of international law in maritime spaces. Both of us understand that maritime security is not only about fleets and ports, but about protecting our people, trade, and principles that keep our global order stable,” she said.

Natalia Gumenyuk, CEO of Ukraine’s Public Interest Journalism Lab, highlighted how battlefield innovation is evolving.

“They are boats which can be remotely operated… But the secret is not about one technology. It’s about the very developed feedback loop between the producers and the battlefield,” she said.

She said Ukrainians are “creating the rules for the drone military doctrine of the civilized world.”

Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko underscored ASEAN-Ukraine ties and constant dialogue despite distance.

“It is crucial for us that despite the geographical distance, there is a dialogue going on all the time,” she said.

On food security, Vasylenko added a reminder of Ukraine’s role as a grain supplier.

“We are the biggest grain exporter. For you, it’s very important because it’s your food security,” she said.

Fellow MP Vadym Halaichuk called the opening of a Ukrainian embassy in Manila “a great achievement” and urged reciprocity.

He also pointed to trade opportunities and supply chain diversification.

“We are now trading at less than $70 million in 2024… but that’s a huge potential for expanding. What we can look into is replacement of some of the goods that we are purchasing from China,” he said.

The referenced trade level equates to USD 70,000,000 in 2024.

From the Philippine side, RADM Rommel Jude Ong (Ret), Stratbase Institute Non-Resident Fellow and Professor of Praxis at the Ateneo School of Government, warned of the implications of China’s maritime strategy.

“The greatest challenge we have in the Philippine space is China’s global maritime strategy and how it manifests for the Philippine archipelago,” he said.

Ong cited shifting naval balances and the need for a unified defense posture.

“Since 2015, the PLA Navy has surpassed the U.S. Navy in terms of battle force numbers. That creates what I call a regional imbalance of naval power… We need a whole-of-nation, whole-of-government articulated defense strategy,” he said.

Former AFP Chief of Staff and Stratbase Non-Resident Fellow Gen. Emmanuel Bautista (Ret) said Ukraine’s war has raised anxieties in Asia.

“Will China do a Ukraine? Either Taiwan or the Philippines… the Philippines will be inevitably involved,” he said.

He urged readiness and credible deterrence within the armed forces.

“We need to develop a capable, but also sustainable armed forces… Nobody wins in war. And so, we need to prevent war. We need to deter war,” he said.

For Dr. Chester Cabalza, Stratbase Institute Non-Resident Fellow and Founding President of the International Development and Security Cooperation, reciprocity should guide Manila’s approach.

“We extend our gratitude to Ukraine for supporting us in our fifth visit for the UNSC seat… we have to reciprocate also the goodwill of Ukraine to us,” he said.

Cabalza also emphasized food and cultural ties to deepen people-to-people links.

“Ukraine is a major exporter of meat, corn, fertilizers… Maybe just to, more importantly, increase cultural diplomacy… we are now watching Ukrainian movies and, of course, culture,” he said.

The forum followed a Sept. 18 Stratbase event with the European Council on Foreign Relations titled “Navigating Asymmetric Threats: Cross-Regional Strategies for Europe and the Indo-Pacific,” which spotlighted gray-zone operations, lawfare, cyberattacks, and disruptive technologies as shared challenges.

By hosting back-to-back forums with Ukraine and Europe, Stratbase reinforced its mission to strengthen Philippine resilience through deeper alliances, technological innovation, and cooperation anchored in a rules-based international order.

For added context, the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling favored the Philippines in its maritime case against China and continues to shape Manila’s legal footing in the West Philippine Sea.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 reshaped global security and supply chains, with ripple effects on energy, food prices, and regional defense cooperation.