Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto affirmed his commitment to maintaining close ties with Russia, calling it a “great friend,” during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Prabowo, who is currently serving as Indonesia’s defense minister, is set to succeed Joko Widodo as president in October.
In a statement from the defense ministry, Prabowo expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Russia, particularly in the areas of defense, energy, and education. “We consider Russia a great friend,” he said. “I aim to preserve and enhance this relationship. Throughout our history, Russia has supported us in many ways during difficult times.”
Prabowo also highlighted his intention to continue collaborating with Russia on defense and nuclear energy projects, and mentioned plans to send Indonesian students to Russia for medical studies.
The visit to Moscow follows Prabowo’s recent trip to Beijing, where he met with President Xi Jinping to reaffirm Indonesia’s “policy of friendship” with China.
Russian President Putin, as reported by the state news agency TASS, indicated Russia’s readiness to “scale up supplies of agricultural products and implement investment projects in energy, transport, and infrastructure” with Indonesia. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also noted that Indonesia’s influence in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which Putin refers to as a “special operation,” is becoming increasingly significant.
Last year, Prabowo proposed a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine, advocating for a ceasefire and the establishment of a demilitarized zone during an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.
