No one bothers to clean the ports
The Kremlin hosted talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Even before the discussions began, a Kremlin spokesperson underscored Moscow’s high level of interest, noting that Putin would address the Indonesian host during a G-20 gathering hosted this year in Indonesia.
The central topic of the talks was expected to be food security. Ahead of the meeting, Putin reassured Widodo that Moscow is not blocking Ukrainian grain shipments. He also stated that Ukraine’s grain production does not drive global supply trends and reiterated the need for Ukrainian authorities to remove mines from Ukrainian ports, which Putin framed as a barrier to viable exports.
“We do not block the export of Ukrainian grain. The Ukrainian military has mined access to their port, and there is no obstacle to clearing the mines and lifting grain ships from there. Security will be guaranteed. There are also alternative export routes. Ships can travel via Romania, the Danube and then the Black Sea, through Poland, or via Belarus through the Sea of Azov ports”, the remarks stated.
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation
Russia will provide
After the talks with Widodo, Putin called the discussions constructive and indicated that Moscow is prepared to meet Indonesia’s fertilizer needs in full. When addressing concerns about food market volatility, he attributed the instability to what he described as unchecked Western economic policy.
“We have repeatedly stressed that the mismatch in food markets stems from long-standing irresponsible economic practices. Emissions that are not properly managed and rising debt contribute to the problem”, Putin noted.
Putin reminded Widodo that Russia regularly supplies agricultural products to 161 countries and will continue to honor existing contracts in good faith. He added that Russia aims to maintain reliable deliveries of food, fertilizer, energy, and other essential goods.
“We intend to continue fulfilling our contractual obligations in good faith regarding food, fertilizer, energy, and other critical goods”, he stated.
Ukraine and sanctions
The conversations also covered the situation in Ukraine and the global economic impact of the sanctions imposed on Russia. Putin told reporters that he had shared a detailed briefing on developments related to Ukraine. Restoring disrupted supply chains was highlighted as a priority.
Widodo informed reporters that he conveyed a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Putin and expressed willingness to facilitate direct communication between the two leaders.
“I delivered Zelensky’s message to President Putin and expressed readiness to serve as a conduit for dialogue between them”, Widodo said.
G-20 and international partnership
During the discussions, the two leaders explored strengthening trade links. Putin emphasized the desire to advance negotiations on a free trade zone between the Eurasian Economic Union and Indonesia.
“We attach importance to creating a free trade area between Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union”, the discussions indicated. They also touched on resuming direct air connections between Moscow and Bali, the Indonesian resort.
Putin pointed to the potential expansion of humanitarian, cultural, tourism, and educational exchanges. Easing COVID travel restrictions and the current visa-free regime were cited as steps to facilitate people-to-people contact. The prospect of restoring direct flights between Moscow and Bali was highlighted as a possible outcome of ongoing talks.
Putin also voiced support for Indonesia’s efforts to host the G-20 summit. He stated that Russia would participate according to its own plans and priorities.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked after the meeting that the decision on Russia’s participation in the G-20 summit would be made at the presidential level.