ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto Could Visit Russia Soon, Kremlin Says

The trip could involve discussions about energy purchases from Russia to help shore up Indonesia’s domestic fuel supply.

Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto may soon visit Russia and meet with President Vladimir Putin, a Kremlin spokesperson said yesterday, as nations across the world turn to Moscow for help in securing energy supplies.

According to a Reuters report, Dmitry Peskov was asked by a reporter about a possible visit by Prabowo and whether the Indonesian leader would discuss oil purchases with Putin. He responded that “contacts between the two leaders were being prepared,” adding that an announcement would be made “in due course,” the news agency reported.

According to the report, Prabowo said on Wednesday he would be traveling abroad again soon. While he declined to reveal the destination, he said that the trip was intended to secure Indonesia’s interests.

Peskov’s comments came two days after he told reporters that Russia, the second largest oil exporter after Saudi Arabia, was fielding requests for energy from nations across the globe who are concerned about the energy crisis stemming from the war in the Middle East. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has prompted Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz to most vessels, choking off a significant proportion of the global oil and gas supply.

“Now ​that the world has confidently embarked on the path of a rather serious economic and energy crisis, which is growing day by day, the market and market conditions in the field of energy and energy resources have completely changed,” Peskov said.

“There are a ​huge number of requests for the purchase of our energy resources from alternative sources. We are negotiating, we are negotiating in ​such a way that this situation best suits our interests.”

The demand for Russian oil has been particularly strong in Asia, the destination of more than 80 percent of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas that traverses the Strait. Asian countries including Vietnam, Thailand, the........

© The Diplomat