TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo planned to summon Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto to seek explanations regarding the Russia-Ukraine peace plan proposed by the latter which was presented at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2023 in Singapore and drew the public spotlight, including the international community.

Jokowi said it is Prabowo’s personal proposal, not on behalf of the Indonesian government. “That's from Pak Prabowo himself, but I haven't met Pak Prabowo yet,” he said in a press conference after the opening of the PDIP meeting in South Jakarta, Tuesday, June 6, 2023.

Jokowi has not yet confirmed when the meeting will be held. “Maybe I will send the invitation today or tomorrow to ask for an explanation of what the Defense Minister said.”

At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Prabowo proposed a peace plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war that has taken place since February 2022. The plan includes a ceasefire, a withdrawal of both Russian and Ukrainian troops 15 kilometers from their forward positions to create a new demilitarized zone, the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping troops, and the holding of a UN referendum in what Prabowo called disputed territory.

“The UN needs to organize a referendum to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas,” Prabowo said on Saturday, June 3, 2023.

Spokesman for the Ukraine Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleg Nikolenko firmly rejected the proposal. Nikolenko said that Indonesia seemed to draw conclusions from its own history.

“Russia must withdraw from Ukrainian territories, and Ukraine must restore its territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders. There can be no alternative scenarios,” Nikolenko underlined.

Following the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia Vasyl Harmianin and the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva took turns visiting the Indonesian Defense Ministry to hold a closed meeting on Monday, 5 June 2023.

ANTARA

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