Philippines scraps Russian helicopter deal

GBNews24 Desk//

The Philippines has scrapped a deal to buy 16 Russian military transport helicopters because of fears of US sanctions, the Associated Press has reported, citing Philippine officials.

A former Philippine defence secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said the 12.7 billion peso ($227m) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters had been cancelled, Al Jazeera reports.

The decision to buy the helicopters was approved last month by former President Rodrigo Duterte, before his term in office ended on June 30, AP reported.