Latest news with #Kremlin
ABC News
an hour ago
- Business
- ABC News
Prabowo snubbed the G7 to meet Putin. Is Indonesia moving away from the West?
The decision by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to skip the G7 meeting in Canada and to visit Russia has raised eyebrows in Western capitals. The official reason provided was that his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin was pre-planned. Prabowo, being a man of his word, had decided to skip the G7 meeting of wealthy liberal democracies in favour of attending the little-known St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Known as Russia's Davos, the forum is where Russia — facing crippling Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine — seeks to attract foreign investment and showcase the best of its business and technology. Prabowo was invited as the Kremlin's guest of honour. "It's possible that he wasn't fully aware of the optics," said Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Gatra Priyandita. "But at the same time, I can also sort of imagine him thinking this might incentivise the West to try harder." Prabowo's decision came after reports earlier this year that Moscow was lobbying Jakarta to house long-range bombers in Indonesia's Papua province, causing anxiety in Australian foreign policy and defence circles. During a meeting with Putin this week, the the pair inked a strategic partnership. Indonesia and Russia's respective sovereign wealth funds signed an agreement worth 2 billion euros ($3.5 billion). Putin was praised for supporting Indonesia's bid to become a full member of BRICS — the 16-member grouping of non-Western nations founded by Russia along with China, India, Brazil and South Africa. Prabowo revelled in the fact that his Foreign Minister Sugiono, who goes by one name, had visited Russia three times within just eight months. "Russia is clever in giving attention to Prabowo," said Radityo Dharmaputra, head of the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies at Airlangga University in Indonesia. "It's not about the forum, but his personal relations with Putin … his willingness to meet with this so called great man in the in the global arena." Prabowo's Culture Minister Fadli Zon has previously gone as far as declaring his boss Indonesia's Putin. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs of 32 per cent against Indonesian goods have burned goodwill in Jakarta. "Increasingly, there is some degree of disillusionment about the United States and the future of US power," Dr Priyandita said. Mr Dharmaputra said Russia was stepping up its engagement at a time when the US and some European countries had cut their funding for several programs in Indonesia. "Other countries are struggling to compete with Russia and China in that regard," he said. Still, Prabowo's Russia trip should hardly be interpreted as a full-scale rejection of Indonesia's partnerships in the West. Since its creation as a nation, Indonesia has practised "free and active" foreign policy — meaning it is non-aligned to either the West or the West's adversaries. Prabowo is no exception. That was shown by the warmth of Anthony Albanese's visit to Jakarta last month after the Australian prime minister won re-election. As was the visit of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles to Jakarta earlier this month. French President Emmanuel Macron also visited Jakarta to great fanfare only a few weeks ago. Analysts say Jakarta's ties to the US and Australia on a range of fronts remain much stronger than those with Moscow. Russia had never been a reliable investment partner for Indonesia, said Mr Dharmaputra. For example, Russia withdrew as an investor from the Borneo railway project in 2022 — which had been billed as an "historic milestone" for a Russian-backed initiative in the country. While Indonesia may purchase some arms from Russia, economic ties are lacklustre. Last year, China was the third largest foreign investor in Indonesia and the US was the fourth. Prabowo's decision to dodge the G7 may in fact have been partly motivated by domestic political factors, Dr Priyandita said. Indonesia, like most of South-East Asia, is out of step with Western powers in relation to Israel, its war in Gaza and attacks on Iran. The G7 leaders' statement affirmed Israel's "right to defend itself" and declared Iran was the "principle source of regional instability and terror". Being seen to buy into that narrative in Indonesia — a Muslim-majority country that has never recognised Israel and where public support for the Palestinian cause is immense — could be politically disastrous. Prabowo only recently attracted criticism for comments he made during Macron's visit, indicating that Indonesia might establish diplomatic relations with Israel if Israel recognised a Palestinian state. So, the visit to St Petersburg may have been motivated more by Putin's flattery and avoiding headaches at home than a pointed snub of the West. Prabowo has declared his foreign policy philosophy is "one thousand friends and zero enemies". His visit to Russia is a timely reminder that Indonesia, the largest economy in South-East Asia, does indeed have many friends.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Russia's nuke warning to Trump: Kremlin tells US a tactical nuclear weapon strike on Iran would be 'catastrophic' as it warns America and Israel not to kill Khamenei
Russia has today warned Donald Trump any use of tactical nuclear weapons in Iran would be 'catastrophic' as the US President says he will decide in the next two weeks whether to join in Israel 's war. Russian news service Tass is reporting the Kremlin has issued a fresh plea for Trump to avoid using bunker busting bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities amid fears it could spark wider conflict across the Middle East. Last night, Iran-backed militias threatened to join in the war with Israel if the Trump administration enters the Israel-Iran conflict.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Russia says potential use of nuclear weapons by US on Iran would be ‘catastrophic'
Potential use of tactical nuclear weapons by the United States in Iran would be a catastrophic development, Russian state news agency TASS quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying on Friday. Peskov was commenting on what he called speculative media reports about that possibility. Developing...
Sky News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Regime change in Iran is 'unacceptable', says the Kremlin
Why you can trust Sky News Regime change in Iran is "unacceptable" and the assassination of the country's Supreme Leader would "open the Pandora's box", the Kremlin has said. In a rare interview with a foreign media organisation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sky News that Russia would react "very negatively" if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. The comments came as US President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether America will join Israel's military campaign against Tehran, after earlier speculating on social media about killing the Iranian leader. "The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but globally," Mr Peskov said in an interview at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg. "An enlargement of the composition of the participants of the conflict is potentially even more dangerous. "It will lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension in the region." They are the Kremlin's strongest comments yet regarding the Israel-Iran conflict, which has stoked fears in Moscow that it could be on the verge of losing its closest ally in the Middle East. Russia has deepened its ties with Iran since invading Ukraine, and the two countries signed a strategic partnership in January. "[Regime change in Iran] is unimaginable. It should be unacceptable, even talking about that should be unacceptable for everyone," Mr Peskov said, in a thinly veiled reference to Washington. 1:35 But Mr Peskov refused to be drawn on what action Russia would take if Khamenei was killed, saying instead it would trigger action "from inside Iran". "It would lead to the birth of extremist moods inside Iran and those who are speaking about [killing Khamenei], they should keep it in mind. They will open the Pandora's box." Vladimir Putin's offers to mediate an end to the conflict have so far been rejected by Mr Trump, who said on Wednesday that he told the Russian president to "mediate your own [conflict]", in reference to Russia's war against Ukraine. Mr Peskov denied the American president's words were insulting, adding: "Everyone has a different language. "President Trump has his own unique way of speaking and his unique language. We are quite tolerant and expect everyone to be tolerant of us." The Trump administration's own mediation efforts to end the war in Ukraine have failed to yield any major breakthroughs, despite two rounds of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. Moscow has stepped up its aerial bombardment of Ukraine in recent weeks and continues to reject Volodymyr Zelenskyy's calls for a 30-day ceasefire. "Now we have a strategic advantage. Why should we lose it? We are not going to lose it. We are going further. We're advancing and we'll continue to advance," Mr Peskov said. 👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈 Russia has previously said it would only commit to a ceasefire if Kyiv stops receiving foreign military support, fearing that a pause in the fighting would offer Ukraine a chance to rearm and regroup its forces. 0:57 Asked if Moscow could commit to not using a ceasefire in the same way, Mr Peskov said: "A ceasefire is a ceasefire, and you stop. "But America is not saying that 'we'll quit any supplies'. Britain is not saying that as well. France is not saying that as well. This is the problem."
Japan Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ukraine fears being sidelined by Iran-Israel war
Fighting between Iran and Israel could deflect global attention from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and even bolster Kremlin's war effort, Ukrainian officials say. Israel launched a massive bombing campaign on Iran last week that prompted Tehran — a close ally of Russia — to strike back with missiles and drones. The conflict has pushed up the price of oil — a key revenue stream funding Russia's invasion. "For Ukraine, the challenge is the price of oil, because if prices remain high for a long time, the Russians will earn more," a senior Ukrainian political source said. However, Kyiv has welcomed Israeli attacks on a country which has directly aided and provided weapons to Moscow for its own strikes on Ukraine. The campaign has left several high-ranking Iranian military officials dead and put pressure on Tehran's military capacity that is likely to limit the practical support it can provide to Russia. "The Iranian regime is Russia's ally, so the more they lose, the better," the Ukrainian source said. "Overall, Israel is doing the whole world a favor. That is a fact," the source added. The possibility of weaker support and attention from Washington, however, concerns Kyiv. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, Israel's closest ally, has made it clear that its security priorities are the Middle East and Asia, with Europe lower on the list. This could mean further Russian advances on the battlefield or deadly aerial attacks will be met with a muted reaction from a White House that already sees the Ukraine conflict mainly as a European problem. Kyiv's efforts to lobby for more support from Washington have been complicated by tense relations between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader. Zelenskyy recently conceded to journalists that war between Iran and Israel carried risks for Kyiv. "No one is claiming to have a relationship more important than America and Israel, but we would like to see the aid to Ukraine would not be reduced because of this," he said. He referred to Israel's war in Gaza that was sparked by a deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, as a precedent for this. "It was a factor that slowed down assistance to Ukraine," he added. In an interview with U.S. media, the Ukrainian leader said at the beginning of this month that Washington could send "20,000" missiles needed for Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones to the Middle East, instead. Senior officials in Zelenskyy's office said after the outbreak of the war in Gaza that it had spurred Ukraine to focus on developing its own arms industry. Russia has rained down thousands of drones and missiles on Ukraine since it launched its full-scale invasion early in 2022, including Iranian-made and -designed projectiles. Israel has claimed to have attacked production sites in Iran, which has also launched silos of missiles at Israel that now cannot be sent to Russia for attacks on Ukraine. "Let's hope that the corresponding production or transfer (of weapons) to the Russians will decrease. This helps Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. The British defense ministry said Iran's supply of weapons to Russia could slow as a result of Tehran's war with Israel. But it said global focus on the Middle East could overall help Moscow. "Russia almost certainly perceives some benefit in the conflict as it distracts international focus from its war against Ukraine," it said on social media. Moscow also produces its own drones and missiles, and it has received projectiles from North Korea. Ukrainian military analyst and blogger Sergiy Sternenko was among voices to issue caution against celebrating the attacks on Iran. "Do not rush to get too excited about the strikes on Iran. Of course, Iran is our enemy, and we wish these pigs the worst. But fighting in the Middle East will inevitably lead to higher oil prices," he wrote.
