Jakarta. A Russian envoy recently said that Moscow would never set up a military base in Indonesia amid Biak spaceport investment talks and an upcoming leadership meeting.

Indonesia is looking to establish its first spaceport in the Papuan island of Biak due to its proximity to the equator.

Russian ambassador Sergei Tolchenov reaffirmed that Moscow would not expand its military installation even if it clinches the launch site deal, citing Jakarta’s non-aligned foreign policy. This approach has guided Indonesia into not siding with major powers and accepting foreign bases.

The comment also came ahead of President Prabowo Subianto’s reunion with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok later this week.

“There are no foreign military bases in Indonesia. I believe there will never be [one], be it from the US, Russia, or Australia," Tolchenov told the press.

The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), which is leading the Biak project, has entered into early-stage negotiations with the Moscow-based state cosmonautics firm Roscosmos. They are still far from a final contract, according to Tolchenov, adding that the decision rests in BRIN’s hands.

“And it’s up to Indonesia [if] it uses the spaceport to send military satellites. It’s not [up to] Russia. We have enough facilities in our own territory for military purposes,” Tolchenov said.

In early 2025, Indonesia dismissed reports of Russia seeking to base its military aircraft in Biak, which had worried close neighbor Australia. Tolchenov slammed such rumors as “ridiculous”, saying that any bilateral cooperation with Jakarta would not be at the expense of other nations. 

Russia is not the only country that is seeking to have a part in Indonesia’s cosmic industry.  BRIN and the Indian Space Research Organization not long ago shook hands on an agreement, which could culminate in cooperation related to the Biak facility development.

Prabowo would join Vladivostok’s Eastern Economic Forum as its chief guest this week, news agency Sputnik wrote quoting Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. He is set to sit together with Putin to review bilateral ties on the sidelines this Thursday. 

Space cooperation was a talking point the last time Prabowo visited Moscow in April.

The Indonesian side has not issued a statement on the Vladivostok trip.

Read More: Russia Says Indonesian Cooperation Under ‘Very Strict’ Western Monitoring

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