June 8, 2023
TOKYO – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto held two separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian Ambassadors to Indonesia, following a controversial speech he delivered over the weekend at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
On Tuesday, Prabowo welcomed the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, Lyudmila Georgievna Vorobieva, at the Defense Ministry’s headquarters in Central Jakarta, one day after he met with the Ukrainian Ambassador to the country, Vasyl Hamianin.
“In the meeting, we discussed cooperation in the defense and military field as well as improving the capability of the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) weapon system […] we also gave input on ways to create peace between Ukraine and Russia,” Prabowo said in a statement published on his Instagram account @prabowo, after his meeting with Vorobieva.
In his meeting with Hamianin, Prabowo said he reiterated Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy and that the country would maintain its desire to be friends with all countries in the world.
“We support enlightened moves to create world peace and order,” Prabowo said in a statement.
The two meetings took place only days after Prabowo proposed a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarized zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called disputed territory.
At the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore, Prabowo delivered his proposal for a multi-point plan, including a ceasefire and establishing a demilitarized zone by withdrawing 15 kilometers from each party’s forward position.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko dismissed the plan, reiterating Kyiv’s position that Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine.