STRATEGIC ASSESSMENT. President Jokowi met Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday, offering to play a role as a peace broker between the Ukrainian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Jokowi arrived in the Ukrainian capital in the morning and was received by Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace in the afternoon.
Ahead of the talks, Zelenskyy posted a video on social media of him greeting Jokowi. He said in his post that he was “grateful that in this difficult time for our state, we feel the support of your people and country.”
“I offered to bring a message from President Zelenskyy to President Putin, whom I will visit very soon,” Jokowi told a news conference with Zelenskyy, according to the Indonesian presidential office. He emphasized Indonesia’s respect for national sovereignty and a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Jokowi during the meeting also spoke of Ukraine’s important role in the global food supply chain. “It is important for all parties to provide security guarantees for smooth exports of Ukrainian food, including through sea ports,” he said. “I support the United Nations’ efforts in this matter.”
Jokowi again invited Zelenskyy to attend the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali in November. The Ukrainian leader said he accepted the invitation, though his participation will depend on his country’s situation.
Indonesia is committed to strengthening bilateral relations with Ukraine, Jokowi said, adding that Jakarta will provide medical supplies and help rebuild hospitals around Kyiv that have been damaged by Russian attacks.
Zelenskyy said he appreciated the first visit by an Asian leader to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country. The two leaders also discussed the prospects for post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
“I invite Indonesia, Indonesian companies, specialists to join the implementation of this project — the largest economic project of our time in Europe,” Zelenskyy said.
After his visit to Ukraine, Jokowi is due to go to Moscow to meet Putin, and has said he will urge the Russian president to agree to a ceasefire. “Even though it’s very hard to achieve, I expressed the importance of a peace resolution,” Jokowi said after meeting Zelenskyy.
President Jokowi is due to arrive in Russia on Thursday for talks with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday.
Gilang Kembara, an international politics researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, an Indonesian think tank, is pessimistic that Putin will listen to Widodo to find a peaceful solution to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
“The chance for that is very slim,” said Gilang, “Indonesia does not have great experience as a peace broker outside the Southeast Asia region.” Gilang said Jokowi may choose to focus on exports from Russia and Ukraine rather than seek to broker a peace agreement in a region he does not know well.
The Russian president is likely to be seeking to convince Jokowi that his Ukraine invasion is justified, said Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer of foreign relations at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in Bandung.
“While the West is relatively united against Russia, Putin wants other countries, notably countries like Indonesia, to either not join the blockade or, perhaps, hopefully, join his counter-west ‘alliance,’ or Russia’s so-called ‘new G-8’.”
Ben Bland, director of the Asia-Pacific Programme at Chatham House, said Indonesia’s chances of finding common ground between the Russian and Ukraine leaders “were very minimal.”
However, he said that Indonesia, as one of the world’s biggest developing countries and a friendly partner of both Russia and Ukraine, is an important voice on the global stage.
RAND Corporation senior defense analyst Derek Grossmann said countries such as Indonesia can help in conflicts such as Ukraine and Russia.
“If we want to try and get to some sort of peaceful negotiation and settlement, those are the types of countries that can help,” said Derek, though he had low expectations for Jokowi to make headway during his forthcoming trip.
President Jokowi was on a train bound for Kyiv on Tuesday evening, nearing an active war zone under high security, as he seeks to broker peace talks between Russia and Ukraine amid an escalation of violence in the beleaguered country — including the capital.
Jokowi is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday and hold a similar meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday to seek an end to the Russo-Ukrainian war after attending the Group of Seven Summit in Germany, which ended on Tuesday.
Bey Machmudin, the Presidential Secretariat’s deputy for protocol, press, and the media, said the planned visit had been organized carefully by the Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres).
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi on Tuesday said that after completing a series of activities at the G7 Summit in Elmau, Germany, President Jokowi would visit Ukraine via Poland to meet with President Zelenskyy to encourage the possibility of a dialogue with Russia.
University of Indonesia international relations professor Evi Fitriani on Monday said Indonesia possesses both soft power and moral strength to help resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Evi said Jokowi could convey to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on behalf of the global community, that the world is suffering as a result of the ongoing war.
Evi believes Jokowi can use this as an exit strategy offer to Putin, because the continuation of this war is seen as dependent on Russia.
The armed conflict in Ukraine proves that war can break out at any moment in the midst of competition between major powers. Russia decided to continue to attack Ukraine even though the war it caused made it difficult for Russia to access its wealth abroad due to blockades from the West.
The war in Ukraine brings a heavy burden on many countries in the world. The most miserable is, of course, the people in poor countries that do not have natural resources.
However, there is a bigger threat that awaits the citizens of the world, the competition of the major powers: the U.S. and China.
President Jokowi’s efforts to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin to push for a peaceful solution are very appropriate. Indonesia’s position in leading the G20 makes Jokowi’s responsibility even greater to push for an end to the war in Ukraine. However, Indonesia also needs to prepare to make an important contribution to preventing armed conflict in the midst of a larger and multidimensional U.S.-China rivalry.
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah on Tuesday said there were four main reasons President Jokowi made a state visit to Russia and Ukraine.
First, all countries have a responsibility to contribute to efforts to end war and create peace. Second, Jokowi chose to contribute and did not choose to remain silent.
Third, this active contribution to maintaining world peace is a mandate of the Indonesian constitution that must be carried out.
Fourth, Indonesia is the holder of the G20 presidency and Jokowi is one of the champions of the Global Crisis Response Group formed by the U.N. Secretary-General. “In that capacity, the President has a great sense of responsibility,” said Faizasyah.
Meanwhile, international relations pundits, Bustaman al Rauf said after Jokowi’s trip to Russia, Ukraine and UAE, the people of Indonesia would be waited positive outcome from the trips. “Because all of the trips President, minister or high rank department officers using state funds, they must calculate the outcome of their trips for national interest and Indonesia’s public interest. It is important to keep public trust to them for using state funds,” said Rauf reiterated (Red/many sources)
