Jakarta. Indonesia on Friday revealed the rationale behind its abstention from a UN vote on the Ukraine truce, citing the lack of inclusive dialogue in the drafting process that has failed to convince Jakarta to give firm backing.

“Indonesia did not see an inclusive and constructive negotiation in the adoption process of the draft resolution. It left no room for negotiation on the proposed concept, hence we refrained from voting,” the ministry’s spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang told reporters in Jakarta on Friday.

Hundreds of UN members recently cast their vote on a resolution that called for a “lasting peace in Ukraine”. The vote marked the fourth year since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion. The resolution passed in a landslide victory with 107 countries in favor, despite receiving 51 abstentions and 12 oppositions. Jakarta was among those that decided not to vote, even though it had voiced support in last year’s resolution on Ukraine.

Yvonne highlighted how 50 other countries — many are emerging and developing countries — also did not vote. “This shows that they share our concerns on the need to prioritize an inclusive dialogue and diplomatic efforts to achieve peace,” she said.

The warring Russia and Ukraine gave mixed reactions to Indonesia’s abstention. Ukrainian Chargé d'Affaires Yevhenia Shynkarenko said that Kyiv wanted Jakarta to take a more solid stance. “We would have welcomed a stronger and firmer position in support of efforts to ensure a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” Shynkarenko said.

Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov told the press that Jakarta’s abstention might have stemmed from its “balanced policy” regarding the Ukraine conflict. “We [Russia] appreciate very much the decision of Indonesia abstaining.”

The abstention list on the latest Ukraine resolution includes China, the US, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and fellow ASEAN member Vietnam. The agreed document wrote that the UN members had repeated calls for an “immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire” as well as “the complete exchange of prisoners of war”. 

President Prabowo Subianto has stated plans to deploy peacekeepers to the war-torn Ukraine, although his government is currently busy with preparations for the Gaza-bound troops. His predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, embarked on a peace mission to Ukraine and Russia back in July 2022, a few months after the current phase of the war started. Jokowi was also hoping to get the world’s breadbaskets back into the global food supply chain.

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