The lady from Ukraine

I was certainly intrigued by the invitation to meet up and have coffee somewhere in Makati.

- CITO BELTRAN

Yes, my mother always told me not to talk to strangers, but this was different.

Imagine being invited by an "ambassador" to meet at a coffee shop and not the usual "We'll see you at the embassy" or at the ambassador's residence. Adding to the mystique was that the "ambassador" personally sent the message via WhatsApp.

As the movie line goes, "She had me at 'let's meet at the coffee shop.'" This was a first. Most ambassadors get their staff or PR people to make the calls or extend the invite, often at an embassy reception or through a PR contact. This one was all personal, humble and straightforward.

Last but not least, the ambassador represented Ukraine! I immediately said yes because "I Stand With Ukraine," but a day before the set date, I landed in the ICU for atrial fibrillation, so we ended up meeting at the embassy two weeks later.

Yes, they have an embassy in the Philippines and Ambassador Yuliia Fediv has been in office for only three months but is already very engaged and very busy doing the diplomatic rounds and making the extra effort to meet up with stakeholders such as the Philippine media.

Let's all bear in mind that an ambassador represents the entire nation, its government and its people and so one must respond with respect and courtesy. In this particular case, the country concerned has been fighting a Russian invasion for "three years, three months, two weeks and three days" (Google).