Daily TribuneAs Ukraine seeks support beyond Europe, Manila and Kyiv are expanding ties through diplomacy, trade and energy cooperation.
UKRAINE Ambassador Yuliia Fediv told students in Davao City that the war with Russia is testing whether international law still protects smaller nations.
Photograph courtesy of University of Southern Philippines
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Philippines warned Monday that the war with Russia is reshaping global security far beyond Europe, telling students in Davao City that the conflict has exposed the limits of international law and left Ukraine facing hundreds of billions of dollars in destruction.
Speaking at the University of Southeastern Philippines, Yuliia Fediv said the war has already caused an estimated $195 billion in damage and could require roughly $600 billion to rebuild, citing figures from the World Bank and the UN.
Fediv said Ukraine continues to bring its case before the international community because the conflict is not only about territory, but about whether smaller nations can rely on global institutions and international rules for protection.
She described Russia’s invasion as part of a longer historical pattern of pressure and control over Ukraine stretching from the Russian Empire to the Soviet Union and now the Russian Federation.
The forum, held at the university’s Mintal campus, reflected Ukraine’s growing diplomatic push in Southeast Asia as Kyiv seeks support from countries outside its traditional Western allies.
Fediv pointed to strengthening ties between Ukraine and the Philippines, including the July 2024 meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and President Marcos and the opening of Ukraine’s embassy in Manila later that year.
She said Ukraine is looking to expand cooperation with the Philippines in agriculture, energy security, drone technology and cultural exchange.
Students attending the forum questioned Fediv about social media disinformation, Russian propaganda and the Philippines’ continuing imports of Russian fuel products, illustrating how the war’s political and economic effects are now being debated far from Europe.
