President Rodrigo Duterte cannot talk straight. On Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the outgoing Chief Executive has said that the Philippines’s stance is neutral but the country could choose sides in the end.It’s impossible that the President has no knowledge about the Philippines’ vote in the United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian Federation’s aggression on its weak neighbor in Eastern Europe.The resolution, ratified on March 2, 2022 at the UN headquarters in New York City, wants Russia to “unconditionally” withdraw its forces from Ukraine, and the Philippines was among the 141 nations that voted in favor of the resolution during the body’s three-day emergency meeting, which was convened last Feb. 28.President Duterte hopes though that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia “will not really go out of control.” This is because the world knows Russia has a nuclear arsenal.Today is Day 13 of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to be still in its sphere of influence. A democratic Ukraine becoming a member of the European Union is an affront to the authoritarian regime in Moscow, which despises liberal democracy despite its being interconnected with the free world. Russia has increasingly been isolated from the world because of sanctions imposed by the West.Over a million of Ukrainian refugees have crossed borders, and the number of civilian deaths has been mounting since the invasion began last Feb. 24.President Duterte must talk straight. He can do it by echoing the Philippines’ vote in the UN General Assembly.