Duterte seeks friendship with Trump, Putin

MANILA — The Philippine president, who has lashed out at President Barack Obama for criticizing his deadly crackdown on drugs, said his ties with the United States are likely to improve under Donald Trump, but that he is also excited to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an upcoming Asia-Pacific summit. President Rodrigo Duterte made upbeat remarks about both the president-elect and Putin at a news conference late Tuesday in Manila. Asked whether his ties with America can improve under Trump, Duterte replied: “I’m sure, we have no quarrel. I can always be a friend to anybody, especially to a ... president, chief executive of another country.” Duterte, who has been compared to Trump because of his irreverence toward rivals and critics, said he trusted the US president-elect’s judgment and expected him to be fair in dealing with people living in the US illegally. Filipinos are one of the largest expatriate groups in the United States. His friendly remarks were a departure from his comments on the campaign trail in March, when he took offense at being compared to Trump. — AP