PH, Ukraine forge stronger alliance amid rising global security threats
By: Stratbase | Published: September 29, 2025
Reading Time: 5 minutes
As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues and China persists with illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines and Ukraine vowed to strengthen their strategic partnership at a high-level forum hosted by the Stratbase Institute, together with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Philippines.
The event held yesterday, September 23, 2025, titled, “Strengthening Strategic Ties: Enhancing Cooperation between the Philippines and Ukraine,” gathered lawmakers, diplomats, military leaders, and security experts from both nations who stressed that defending
sovereignty today requires resilience, innovation, and cooperation with like-minded democracies.
Stratbase Institute President Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit underscored that both nations face coercion and incursions that threaten sovereignty.
“Ukraine is courageously defending its territory against outright armed aggression, while the Philippines asserts its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea in the face of coercion and incursions. Deeper cooperation between the Philippines and Ukraine
is both urgent and strategic,” he said.
Ukrainian Ambassador Yuliia Fediv said the partnership is grounded in shared values.
“Ukraine and the Philippines, though geographically distant, are connected by a number of shared values and parallel experiences. Both of our nations are committed to defending sovereignty, territorial integrity, and upholding a rule-based international order,” she noted.
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Ukraine’s Lessons for the West Philippine Sea
Dr. Hanna Shelest, Director of the Security Studies Program at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism,” drew parallels between Europe’s Black Sea and Asia’s contested waters.
“The Philippines delegation was the only one who stood and openly said, if you don’t understand why it is important for all of us… you’re just not understanding the security challenges that we are facing,” she shared.
Ukrainian Member of Parliament (MP) Tamila Tasheva suggested that there are more similarities between the Philippines and Ukraine than usually discussed.
“Both of our countries face stronger neighbors which test the limits of international law in maritime spaces. Both of us understand that maritime security is not only about fleets and ports, but about protecting our people, trade, and principles that keep our
global order stable,” she said.
Tech and Drones Reshaping the Rules of War
Natalia Gumenyuk, CEO of Ukraine’s Public Interest Journalism Lab, highlighted how battlefield innovation is evolving: “They are boats which can be remotely operated… But the secret is not about one technology. It’s about the very developed feedback loop between
the producers and the battlefield.”
She said Ukrainians are “creating the rules for the drone military doctrine of the civilized world.”
Diplomacy, Trade, and Human Capital
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko underscored ASEAN-Ukraine ties.
“It is crucial for us that despite the geographical distance, there is a dialogue going on all the time.” On food security she said: “We are the biggest grain exporter. For you, it’s very important because it’s your food security.”
Fellow MP Vadym Halaichuk called the opening of a Ukrainian embassy in Manila “a great achievement” and urged reciprocity.
He also pointed to trade: “We are now trading at less than $70 million in 2024… but that’s a huge potential for expanding. What we can look into is replacement of some of the goods that we are purchasing from China.”
Philippine Perspectives on Security and Cooperation
RADM Rommel Jude Ong (Ret), Stratbase Institute Non-Resident Fellow and Professor of Praxis at the Ateneo School of Government, warned: “The greatest challenge we have in the Philippine space is China’s global maritime strategy and how it manifests for the
Philippine archipelago.”
He added: “Since 2015, the PLA Navy has surpassed the U.S. Navy in terms of battle force numbers. That creates what I call a regional imbalance of naval power… We need a whole-of-nation, whole-of-government articulated defense strategy.”
Former AFP Chief of Staff and Stratbase Non-Resident Fellow Gen. Emmanuel Bautista (Ret) noted how Ukraine’s war raised anxieties in Asia: “Will China do a Ukraine? Either Taiwan or the Philippines… the Philippines will be inevitably involved.”
He urged readiness, specifically among uniformed men.
“We need to develop a capable, but also sustainable armed forces… Nobody wins in war. And so, we need to prevent war. We need to deter war.”
For Dr. Chester Cabalza, Stratbase Institute Non-Resident Fellow and Founding President of the International Development and Security Cooperation, there is a need for reciprocity.
“We extend our gratitude to Ukraine for supporting us in our fifth visit for the UNSC seat… we have to reciprocate also the goodwill of Ukraine to us.”
He also emphasized food and cultural ties: “Ukraine is a major exporter of meat, corn, fertilizers… Maybe just to, more importantly, increase cultural diplomacy… we are now watching Ukrainian movies and, of course, culture.”
A Broader European Partnership
This forum follows another Stratbase event held on September 18 with the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), “Navigating Asymmetric Threats: Cross-Regional Strategies for Europe and the Indo-Pacific.”
The said gathering warned of gray zone operations, lawfare, cyberattacks, and disruptive technologies as shared challenges.
By hosting back-to-back forums with Ukraine and Europe, Stratbase reinforced its mission to strengthen Philippine resilience through deeper alliances, technological innovation, and cooperation anchored in a rules-based international order.
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