Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that he will "immediately terminate" a military deal with the U.S. if the country dumped nuclear weapons in the Philippines.

"We do not want it… but I am warning you that if I get hold of… information that the nuclear armaments are here brought by you (U.S.), I will immediately ask you to go out and I will terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)," Duterte said at a news conference at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

The VFA, which came into effect in 1999, allows the U.S. military to train troops and conduct large-scale exercises with the Philippines, exempting the coming U.S. military personnel from passport or visa restrictions.

"I have made a declaration that we will adopt an independent foreign policy… I assured China that I will not allow nuclear armaments of America to be stored in the Philippines," the president said as he responded to a question about the possibility of U.S. nuclear weapons being allowed in the country.

He added that the Philippines Constitution prohibits any nuclear weapons within the border.

(Cover: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his fourth State of the Nation Address at the Philippine Congress in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 22, 2019. /Reuters)