Putin's sale of Mi-17 tanks, U.S gives $100MN to Philippines for scrapping deal

The Philippines recently scrapped an order for Russian Mi-17 military helicopters. In November, the Philippines agreed to pay $228 million for 16 Russian choppers. Manila, a longtime Washington DC ally, is seeking to modernize military hardware. In March, Manila said the deal was 'on track', with deposit paid before Ukraine war. Efforts are now being made to retrieve the $48.2 million down payment made in January.