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Jokowi-Zelensky reunion revives RI’s peacemaking ambitions
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo makes a statement at the presidential palace in Bogor on April 29, 2022. (AFP/Handout)
T
he surprise appearance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Group of Seven Summit in Japan over the weekend has offered President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo another chance to play the role of peacemaker on the international stage, but whether Jakarta has the leverage to influence the outcome of the Ukraine crisis remains in doubt.
Broadcasting a message of economic partnership, peace and stability, the three-day summit in Hiroshima saw Jokowi reiterate Jakarta’s commitment to peace in Kyiv and assert that leaders must “have the courage” to make the changes necessary to stop the war in Ukraine.
Over a year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the conflict between the neighbors continues unabated despite several attempts at peace talks, with one United States intelligence document from April claiming that at least 354,000 soldiers from both sides had died up to that point.
The war, which thrust the world into a prolonged energy, food and inflation crisis at a time of a frail post-pandemic recovery, was the primary focus of the G7 assembly, where leaders of the richest nations in the world pledged to “take concrete steps to support Ukraine for as long as it takes” by intensifying their diplomatic, financial and humanitarian assistance.
It was not the first time the Ukraine war has cast a pall on a multilateral event, with the Group of 20 summit in Bali last year overshadowed by boycotts and influence peddling. This prompted Jokowi to embark on a peace mission to Kyiv – and later Moscow – making him the first leader from Asia to do so since the war broke out.
Meeting with Zelensky again over the weekend, Jokowi expressed once more Jakarta’s willingness to play the role of peacemaker to facilitate an end to the war.
“President Zelensky, I continue to follow the developments of the situation in Ukraine, [and I offer] my deepest condolences for the victims in the ongoing conflict,” Jokowi said during his audience with the Ukrainian leader.
