Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be the first Asian head of state to visit the two countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February. - Reuters
JAKARTA, June 26 (dpa): Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit Russia and Ukraine this week and meet with the warring countries' respective leaders, his foreign minister has announced.
Retno Marsudi said Jokowi, as the president is popularly called, would be the first Asian head of state to visit the two countries since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.
"Naturally the president will meet with [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin," she said.
Jokowi will travel to Moscow and Kiev after attending a summit of the G7 group of industrialized countries in Germany on Sunday (June 26), she said.
She, however, did not reveal the dates.
"President Jokowi has chosen to try to contribute [to peace in Ukraine], not to stay idle," she said at a news conference, describing the conflict as "extremely complicated."
"The visit is a demonstration of the president's humanitarian concerns and is part of efforts to address the food crisis caused by the war, the impact of which is being felt in all countries," she added.
Indonesia is the current chair of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.
Indonesia voted for a UN General Assembly resolution in March that condemned Moscow’s military strike on Ukraine but has not directly criticized Russia.
The United States and other Western countries have called for Russia to be expelled from the G20, but Indonesia has insisted that all member countries should be invited.
Jokowi has invited Zelensky to an upcoming G20 summit in Bali scheduled for November, even though Ukraine is not a member. - dpa
