Ukraine diplomat apologizes for mix-up on phone call request

MANILA, Philippines — A Ukraine diplomat has apologized to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) over how he was perceived to be complaining that Manila had yet to respond to a request for a phone conversation between President Marcos and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Denys Mykhailiuk, chargé d’affaires of the Ukraine embassy in Malaysia, in an interview yesterday with ANC said he had been misunderstood, and that bilateral relations between the Philippines and Ukraine have been “friendly” and “fruitful.”

“My dear colleagues, I apologize for any misunderstanding this might have caused,” he said, explaining that all he said was that there is a pending request for a phone conversation between Marcos and Zelensky.

“Thank you for your understanding and I would like to assure you that there is all respect from my side, and I hope for a Philippine cooperation,” he added.

“We would like to have some improvement on bilateral level and that’s why we do this, our request, which was sent when President Marcos was elected… it’s still standing. That was the point,” Mykhailiuk explained.