Jakarta. A Ukrainian envoy recently said Kyiv harbored no intention of wrecking Indonesia’s ties with Russia, saying that her country respects Jakarta’s choice of partners. 

Ukraine and Russia have been accusing one another of recruiting Indonesian mercenaries to their war.

The Russian embassy in Indonesia slammed Kyiv’s reports as a “disinformation campaign” meant to damage its Jakarta ties, citing how the mercenary accusations were timed ahead of President Prabowo Subianto’s Vladivostok visit.

Ukrainian Embassy’s chargé d’affaires Yevhenia Shynkarenko told the Jakarta Globe that Kyiv would “not tell sovereign countries whom they may or may not have relations with”.

“With whom Indonesia chooses to develop partnerships is Indonesia’s sovereign decision,” Shynkarenko said by text on Tuesday evening.

“Even when we may not like a particular partnership, we respect the sovereign right of another country to choose it. We therefore have neither the intention nor the need to undermine Indonesia’s relations with Russia.”

Indonesia has long adhered to a “free and active” foreign policy, choosing not to take sides. Jakarta favors peaceful resolutions to the Russo-Ukrainian war. It is also doing business with both warring nations. 

Indonesia’s export-import activities with Ukraine soared by around 295% year-on-year (yoy) to $250.2 million in January-July, Trade Ministry data showed.

Southeast Asia's biggest economy also registered a 21.59% yoy hike in its trade with Russia over the said period, nearing $3.6 billion.

Prabowo's recent meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and hours-long appearance at the Eastern Economic Forum also indicated tighter commerce bonds. The Indonesian leader also brought home some commercial deals, including a potential outbound fertilizer investment.

At Vladivostok, Prabowo highlighted how Jakarta’s upcoming tariff-slashing pact with the Moscow-backed Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was not an “alliance against anyone”.

“Indonesia works to the east, west, north, and south as a sovereign and equal partner. For us, one thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many,” Prabowo said.

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