President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Tuesday called for the “careful” yet “swift” handling of the crisis in Ukraine, as Indonesia closely followed the situation on the ground after Moscow moved on Monday to deploy troops to rebel-held border territories in the name of peacekeeping.

Tensions have run high since Russian President Vladimir Putin moved to recognize two breakaway territories in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops to guard them, a move roundly condemned by Western powers and prompted Kyiv to demand sanctions against Moscow.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said Russia’s move amounted to “a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine”, as he urged restraint and the cessation of hostilities to prevent another escalation, according to a statement from a UN spokesperson.

Indonesia joined the bandwagon on Tuesday in support of the UN secretary-general’s views, with Jokowi tweeting that the Ukraine crisis “must be dealt with carefully so that humanity can be spared from a major catastrophe”.

“Peace efforts have to be made swiftly and without delay,” the President said on his official Twitter account.

Jokowi previously spoke to rising geopolitical tensions at a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Jakarta last week, in which he argued that now was “not the time to start a rivalry and new tensions that disrupt global recovery” from COVID-19.

As the President of the G20 this year, he told finance authorities that the world should be focused on “creating synergy and collaboration” rather than geopolitics.

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