“If you (Putin) can grant me a soft loan right now… The arms deal with America got canceled,” Duterte told Putin during the meeting. Putin did not respond to the request for loan during his opening statement. Duterte could not help taking a jab at western nations during his meeting with Putin, something he also did during his meeting with the Russian leader in Peru last November. During the November meeting, Duterte assailed the US, a traditional ally of the Philippines, and other western nations for supposedly forcing smaller nations to join the war they waged. MOSCOW —President Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a loan from Russia to buy firearms after the United States halted a rifle deal over his administration’s track record on human rights.

Source: Philippine Star May 24, 2017 06:33 UTC