Indonesia’s Peace Plan To End Russia-Ukraine War Finds No Takers

International

oi-Sanjeev Nayak

Days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed a 10-point peace plan calling upon Russia to withdraw all its troops from his country, Indonesia has come up with its own proposal to end the war. However, the Indonesian initiative failed to elicit support even from the war-raged Ukraine and drew quick criticism from the European Union (EU).

Speaking at a defence summit in Singapore, Indonesia’s Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto called for a demilitarised zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called the disputed territory. However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko dismissed the plan, reiterating Kyiv’s position that Russia should first withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

Indonesia’s proposal follows President Joko Widodo’s visit last year to Moscow and Kyiv, where he offered to play peacebroker between their leaders and rekindle peace talks. He was the chairman of the G20 group of major economies at the time.

Subianto called on defence and military officials from around the world, gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore, to issue a declaration calling for a cessation in hostilities. He proposed a multi-point plan including a ceasefire and establishing a demilitarised zone by withdrawing 15 km from each party’s forward position.

The demilitarised zone should be observed and monitored by a peacekeeping force deployed by the UN, he said, adding that a UN referendum should be held “to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas.”

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In his statement, Nikolenko said that it is Russia which has committed the act of aggression, occupying Ukrainian territories, and any proposals for a ceasefire would allow it to regroup and reinforce. Moreover, “there are no disputed territories between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to hold referendums there,” he added and urged Indonesia to support Zelensky’s peace plan.

Speaking on the same panel, Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative and Vice-President of the European Union’s European Commission, noted that if military support for Ukraine stopped, the war would quickly end – but with that country’s sovereignty falling to outside aggression. “We cannot stop supporting militarily Ukraine because we don’t want the peace which is… the peace of the surrender. The peace of the stronger,” Borrell added.