Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior says he is standing by his predecessor's decision to scrap a deal with Russia to buy military helicopters. He said on Thursday the government will get aircraft from the United States, instead.

President Marcos said, "The deal with Russia was for some heavy-lift helicopters and now we have secured an alternative supply from the United States through the manufacturer in Poland."

The Philippine government agreed last year to buy 16 Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters for more than 200 million dollars. But the president at the time, Rodrigo Duterte, decided to cancel the contract after Russia invaded Ukraine out of concern about possible Western sanctions.
It is the first time that Marcos Junior has commented publicly about the issue since taking office in June. He said the government will negotiate for the return of the down payment to the Russian aircraft manufacturer.

Russia's ambassador to Manila Marat Pavlov said Moscow had yet to be notified about the termination of the deal.

In March, the Philippines backed a UN General Assembly resolution demanding that Russia stop its attacks on Ukraine and withdraw its troops.