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03/28/2024 09:13:46 am

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Philippine Leader Duterte Mocks US President Obama; Tells Him to 'Go to Hell'

Rodrigo Duterte Fires Latest Salvo Against US.

(Photo : Getty Images) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has gone on another tirade against the U.S.. telling President Barack Obama to “go to hell.”

In the latest salvo against the United States, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday told U.S. President Barack Obama to "go to hell" and that Russia and China are willing to be the country's new military supplier.

The Filipino leader's latest taunt against the U.S. came after American authorities allegedly refused to sell some weapons to the Philippines.

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"If you don't want to sell arms, I'll go to Russia. I sent the generals to Russia and Russia said 'do not worry, we have everything you need, we'll give it to you,'" Duterte said in a speech in Manila. "And as for China, they said 'just come over and sign and everything will be delivered.'"

Duterte warned that he "will break up with America." But did not elaborate on what he meant with "break up."

Earlier in the week, the Filipino leader said that he would review the U.S.-Philippines Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The defense agreement signed in 2014 allows U.S. troops to access Philippine military bases and permits them to set up storage facilities for maritime purposes and humanitarian operations.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has chosen to play down Duterte's latest fiery comments. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that Duterte's comments were at "odds" with the two countries' warm relationship and decades-long alliance.

Earnest took a swipe at Duterte's aggressive tactics in his war against "drugs mafia," which has raised concerns over the alleged human right violation."[The] United States of America will not hesitate to raise our concerns about extrajudicial killings," he added.

U.S. officials are apparently doing their best to ignore Duterte's rhetoric and not offer him a pretext for more outbursts.

However, several foreign experts claim that Philippine President Duterte's recent salvos against the U.S. must be taken seriously, as it marks a tactical shift in Manila's foreign policy. For decades, Manila's foreign policy has been underpinned by close military and economic cooperation with the U.S, which has helped in countering China's aggression in the South China Sea.

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