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Indonesia’s Jokowi likely to talk food prices with Putin even as he calls for ‘peace’ amid Ukraine war
- Jokowi is likely to address immediate issues like food prices that could weigh on his domestic, international legacy when he leaves office in 2024
- The two leaders are set to meet in Moscow on June 30, after Widodo attends the G7 summit in Germany and meets Ukraine’s Zelensky in Kyiv
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Amy Chewin Kuala Lumpur
Ahead of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, analysts expressed doubt over Widodo’s ability to convince Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Jokowi, as he is popularly known, will focus on issues immediate to his “domestic and global legacy” as his term draws to a close in 2024.
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These include the sharply higher cost of food worldwide in light of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, now entering its fifth month.
“Unfortunately, I don’t see that he can change Putin’s mind or propose some scenario for mediation or peace. I think his goals, as usual, are more Indonesian-centric: namely the Group of 20 (G20) summit and the food crisis,” said Radityo Dharmaputra, a PhD researcher in political science at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu in Estonia.
“His domestic legacy depends on his ability to navigate the food crisis, and his global legacy will depend on the G20 summit,” said Dharmaputra, who is also a lecturer at the department of international relations at Airlangga University in Indonesia.
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