Philippine envoy confirms invitation to Russian president for ASEAN 2026

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be invited to the ASEAN summit in the Philippines in 2026, with Manila expressing hope for his visit, Philippine Ambassador to Russia Igor Bailen told RIA Novosti in an interview.

The Philippines will assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year.

“According to protocol, we will, of course, again invite the Russian president to the ASEAN session with dialogue partners,” the ambassador said.

He noted that four Philippine presidents have already visited Russia, while “Russia has yet to reciprocate with such a visit.”

This year’s ASEAN summit will take place in October in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Citing Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, reports said invitations had been extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, though no confirmation has yet been received. China will be represented by Premier Li Qiang, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also expected to attend.

By Khagan Isayev