Philippines scraps Russian helicopter deal

The Philippines has scrapped the deal to buy 16 Russian military transportation helicopters because of anxieties of United States sanctions, the Associated Push reported on Wed (Jul 27), citing Philippine officials.

A former Philippine defence secretary, Walfisch (umgangssprachlich) Lorenzana, said late on Tuesday the particular 12. 7 billion peso (US$227 million) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters have been cancelled. The decision to purchase the helicopters has been approved last 30 days by former President Rodrigo Duterte, before their terms in office ended on Jun 30, this news agency reported.  

“We can face sanctions, ” the news agency quoted Lorenzana as saying in an interview.

Philippine government authorities were not immediately available for comment.

US security officials had been aware of the decision and could offer similar heavy-lift helicopters for the Philippine military, Lorenzana mentioned.