Jakarta. Ukrainian Ambassador to Indonesia Vasyl Hamianin on Wednesday told reporters he hoped to see President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s name engraved on the recently inaugurated Walk of the Brave sidewalk in Kyiv, especially after the Indonesian leader's historic visit to Ukraine earlier this year.

Ukraine has dedicated a sidewalk on Constitution Square in Kyiv to honor the world leaders who have provided support since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February. The world leaders would have their names inscribed on this walkway — in a similar fashion to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, except without the five-pointed star.

"[The Walk of the Brave] will commemorate every world leader who visited Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Everyone who agrees [to have their names inscribed] will be commemorated here," Hamianin told a press briefing in commemoration of Ukraine's 31st year of independence in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"I sincerely hope to see President Joko Widodo's name there. His historic visit will be remembered and will not be forgotten by Ukrainians," Hamianin said.

But an important thing to note is that inscribing Jokowi's name in Kyiv is so far only a proposal that would require agreement between both parties. 

It has only been a few days since Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy inaugurated the Walk of Avenue. Polish President Andrzej Duda became the first foreign leader to be honored on the Walk of the Brave. Duda was visiting Kyiv to attend the second annual Crimea Platform summit on Tuesday.

In late June, Jokowi embarked on a peace mission to war-torn Ukraine — a trip followed by a visit to Russia. Jokowi sought to initiate peace talks between the warring countries whose conflict has triggered a global food crisis. Just a few days ago, Jokowi admitted to struggling to create a space for dialogue between the two leaders after seeing what was happening on the ground.

31 Years of Independence
Ukraine on Wednesday celebrated its 31st year of independence exactly six months since Russia began the invasion on February 24. With the war still showing no sign of winding down, Ukraine embraced modest independence day celebrations. The government had banned public festivities in fear of Russian attacks.

"Every Ukrainian is celebrating the independence day in his or her heart, sitting at home, trying to be safe," Hamianin said.

"For the first time during our independence, the main thing we think about is to stay safe, to be able to continue to fight, as well as to bring freedom and independence to all territories in Ukraine," he added.

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