Indonesia's Prabowo to meet Putin in Russia for talks
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto (pictured) had visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024, before his October inauguration.
PHOTO: REUTERS
JAKARTA - Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on his first visit to Russia since taking office, officials said on June 12, as South-east Asia’s biggest economy seeks to boost ties with Moscow.
Jakarta maintains a neutral foreign policy, refusing to take sides in the Ukraine conflict or in the competition between Washington and Beijing, but Mr Prabowo has touted stronger relations with Moscow.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Rolliansyah Soemirat told reporters that Mr Prabowo and a limited number of delegates will visit Russia from June 18 to 20.
The President will hold talks with Mr Putin and attend an economic forum in St Petersburg, where he will deliver a speech, he said.
“This visit is to fulfil the invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to a bilateral meeting,” Mr Rolliansyah said.
“The bilateral meeting is expected to discuss the development of bilateral cooperation, as well as a discussion between the leaders on regional and global issues that have become a common concern.”
He added that Mr Prabowo will visit Singapore on June 16 to attend a leaders’ retreat – where he will meet the country’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam – before flying to Russia.
Presidential spokesman Philips Vermonte confirmed the planned trips with AFP.
Mr Prabowo visited Mr Putin in Moscow in 2024 before being inaugurated as Indonesia’s new president in October, calling Russia a “great friend”.
The two nations held their first joint naval drills on Java island in November, and Mr Prabowo later hosted top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu for talks in the capital Jakarta.
Mr Prabowo has pledged to be bolder on the world stage compared with his predecessor Joko Widodo.
Jakarta has billion-dollar trade ties with Moscow, yet major arms imports have stalled in recent years after Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022.
But after becoming defence minister in 2019, Mr Prabowo kept alive a US$1.1 billion (S$1.4 billion) Russian fighter jet deal agreed a year earlier, despite the reported threat of US sanctions. AFP
