Dressed in the traditional Paksian attire of Bangka Belitung province, Jokowi took to the podium at the House of Representatives building – the third year he has done so under the specter of the pandemic.

In his 30-minute speech to mark the 77th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, Jokowi boasted about the country being at the pinnacle of global leadership as the international community became more trusting of Indonesia. 

“We top the global leadership and have a great opportunity to foster international cooperation,” Jokowi told a mostly maskless audience of executive, legislative and judicial members.

The President, who early in his administration was only marginally interested in foreign affairs, highlighted the country’s increasingly active role on the global stage as Indonesia assumes the Group of 20 presidency this year and plays a peacemaker role between the warring Russia and Ukraine.

In late June, Jokowi traveled to Kyiv and Moscow to meet his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin, in a diplomatic effort to help ease the ongoing war’s impact on the international community.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered shockwaves to global supply chains and stoked an energy crisis following international sanctions imposed on Moscow — a major oil and gas producer — leading to rising inflation in many countries.