The president of Indonesia has just finished a trip to Ukraine and Russia to try to solve the grain blockade. Putin denies that he is preventing exports from Ukrainian ports. Indonesia remains available to act as a “bridge” between the two countries in conflict.
Jakarta () – Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s trip to Ukraine and Russia concluded today. Yesterday he held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, while the day before the Indonesian president had met with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
This year Widodo is president of the G20. He stated that he hopes that grain and fertilizer supply lines, slowed down or totally interrupted by the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, will be restored.
“I very much appreciate President Putin, who said that he will provide security guarantees for the shipment of food and fertilizer from both Russia and Ukraine. This is good news,” Jokowi said, adding that he had urged the G7 leaders to ensure that sanctions on Russia do not affect the supply of food and fertilizers.
The war in Ukraine has disrupted world trade by raising the price of wheat, blocked in Ukrainian ports.
At the joint press conference, Putin denied that Russia is preventing Ukrainian exports. “The Ukrainian army has mined access to its ports,” said the Russian president, “no one prevents them from evacuating the area and we guarantee the safety of grain transport.”
As president of the G20, Jokowi has tried to mend divisions within the group after threats by some countries to boycott the summit if Russia participated. Jokowi also intends to use his position as a non-aligned country to build an agreement.
Widodo affirmed yesterday that he had transmitted a message from Zelenskiy to Putin and declared that Indonesia offers its availability to act as a “bridge of communication” between the two presidents, but did not reveal the content of the letter.
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