“They noted that the Philippine side has more than once explained that the future agreement on cooperation with Russia in the field of defense does not mean the establishment of a military alliance.

President Rody Duterte’s official visit to Russia which starts next week may prove to be a key event in terms of his administration’s independent foreign policy thrust and the increasing influence of Rody as a regional leader.

The visit features a talk in the Valdai Discussion Club, which is an influential forum backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, where Rody will be among the few leaders invited to speak before the distinguished yearly assembly. He is the first Philippine leader invited to the forum that will be attended by intellectuals, academicians, journalists from Russia.

Anti-Duterte groups in the United States had stepped up their pressure on Rody through a proposal in the US Senate to ban officials who it consider as instrumental in the incarceration of drug trafficking suspect Sen. Leila de Lima, making Rody’s pivot to non-traditional partners as a strategical move.

Russians have known Rody, according to reports in the local press, as having a “ready tongue when someone comes to teach him how to rule a sovereign state, what needs to be done and what not to do.”

Still fresh in the mind of the highly nationalistic Russians was his “memorable episode with (former US President) Barack Obama.” They expressed belief that now “there are no other people who want to instruct Rodrigo Duterte, and Donald Trump communicates with his Philippine colleague quite properly.”

Rody is recognized for finding the right path in diversifying foreign relations to avoid excessive dependence on one global power amid the heated rivalry between the United States and China.

The development of relations is clear-cut to Russian leaders as they noted that the Philippine side has more than once explained that the future agreement on cooperation with Russia in the field of defense “does not mean the establishment of a military alliance.”

Not only the Russians but many including Rody are wondering why after decades of the military and political embrace of the United States, military equipment in the Philippine military remained obsolete relative to its neighbors.

Rody is bringing along military officials in the trip to look into effective but economical weapons that are already supplied to its neighbors such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

The topic in the forum is appropriately in character of Rody which is the new world order in which non-dependence is key.

Rody was even given a free hand in the topic he will deliver related to the theme “The World Order Seen From The East.”

The engagement with Russia is already expanding as the Russian Federal Protection Service conducts regular training for the Presidential Security Guard and the Navy as part of a defense cooperation agreement.

Higher-level military cooperation is expected to be sealed during the scheduled visit of Rody.

The trepidation among some political groups in the US primarily allies of Rody’s critics is very obvious in the recent moves to put more pressure on Rody by harping on his supposed persecution of political enemies.

The real score, however, is that amid the evolving global situation where American hegemony is waning, Rody has put the Philippines a step ahead by declaring balanced relations for all.