MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president is ready to open the country’s “facilities” to American forces under a 1951 mutual defense treaty if Russia's war against Ukraine turns for the worse and embroils the United States in the fighting, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said Thursday.

Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said President Rodrigo Duterte made the remarks in a recent meeting in Manila where the president also expressed concern over the global economic impact of the unfolding crisis. The Philippines has condemned the invasion and voted yes on a U.N. General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate halt to Moscow’s attack and the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.

© Provided by Associated PressIn this photo provided by the Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte listens during his meeting with cabinet officials at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines on March 7, 2022. The Philippine president is ready to open the country's facilities to American forces under a 1951 mutual defense treaty if Russia's war in Ukraine turns for the worse and embroils the United States in the fighting, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Thursday, March 10. (King Rodriguez/Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

Duterte, whose stormy six-year term ends in June, has nurtured closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping while often criticizing U.S. security policies in the first years of his presidency. But Romualdez said Duterte told him that that the Russian invasion was wrong.

“He says if they’re asking for the support of the Philippines, it’s very clear that, of course, if push comes to shove, the Philippines will be ready to be part of the effort, especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to the Asian region,” Romualdez said in an online briefing with Manila-based journalists. “Give them the assurance that if ever needed, the Philippines is ready to offer whatever facilities or whatever things that the United States will need being a major — our number one ally.”

© Provided by Associated PressFILE - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his final State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines on July 26, 2021. Duterte is ready to open the country’s "facilities" to American forces under a 1951 mutual defense treaty if Russia's war in Ukraine turns for the worse and embroils the United States in the fighting, Manila’s ambassador to Washington said Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Jam Sta Rosa/Pool Photo via AP, File)

Duterte did not specify in his remarks which Philippine facilities American forces would gain access to, but Romualdez said these could include the sprawling Clark and Subic Bay freeports northwest of Manila that used to be among the largest American air and naval bases outside the U.S. mainland until U.S. forces withdrew from them in the early 1990s.