Philippines eyes US helicopters after scrapping Russian deal

By JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Manila’s ambassador to Washington says Philippine officials are considering a U.S. offer to provide heavy-lift helicopters after Manila scrapped a deal to buy some from Russia due to fears of Western sanctions. Ambassador Jose Romualdez said Monday that the Philippine government was concerned about it could face sanctions for buying Russian equipment after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Philippines signed the deal to buy Russian 16 Mi-17 helicopters in November and made an initial payment of $38 million. Romualdez said dropping the deal was a prudent move to spare the Philippines trouble. But he said Washington did not pressure the Philippines to drop the $227 million deal.