The Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, lashed out at western “bullying” and “hypocrisy” during his first meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, and said that when it came to alliances the United States could not be trusted. “Historically I have been identified with the western world. Duterte responded with similar words and then chided western powers, particularly the United States, for intervening in conflicts for their own national interest and cajoling others to side with them. In his talk with Putin, Duterte blasted the United States and its western allies for taking the lead in wars he said had ultimately failed. In an interview with Al Jazeera broadcast on Thursday he described Putin as sincere, and joked that he had a “hillbilly” style.

Source: The Guardian November 20, 2016 07:41 UTC