Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kazan, Russia on June 17, 2026. Handout/PCO
KAZAN, Russia — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday personally invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to travel to Manila for the East Asia Summit happening in the Philippine capital in November.
The East Asia Summit is an annual gathering among the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 8 other countries outside Southeast Asia, where major economic, political and security issues are discussed.
READ: Marcos arrives in Kazan for meeting with Putin ahead of ASEAN-Russia Summit
“As chair of ASEAN, I personally extend my invitation to your excellency to attend the 21st East Asia Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Manila next November,” Marcos Jr. told Putin during their bilateral meeting here.
“The EAS remains an integral part in maintaining our regional architecture towards a shared goal of a stable, secure and prosperous region,” he said.
Putin was seen nodding as Marcos extended the invitation, but Eurasia’s largest economy has yet to send a formal response to the offer.
While Manila and Moscow mark 50 years of bilateral relations this year, Putin — who has been the President of Russia since 2012 — has never visited the Philippines.
Aside from Russia, leaders of Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States are also invited to participate in the EAS.