Indonesia’s President to Visit Russia, Ukraine Next Week

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo plans to visit Russia and Ukraine next week, according to the country’s Foreign minister.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that Widodo will be the first Asian president to visit the two countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

"In the visit to Kyiv and Moscow, the president will meet with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and President (Vladimir) Putin," Marsudi added.

The Indonesian foreign minister noted that the president will visit Kyiv and Moscow after representing Indonesia as a guest country at the G7 summit in Germany on June 26 and 27.

She did not reveal the dates for Widodo’s meetings.

The foreign minister explained that the Widodo decided to try to contribute to bringing peace to Ukraine, not to remain idly by, describing the crisis as "very complicated."

According to Marsudi, the visit is a display of Widodo’s humanitarian concerns and part of the efforts to tackle the global food crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which choked global markets.

It is noteworthy that Indonesia holds the current presidency of the G7 summit.