Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto on Saturday June 3 proposed a peace plan to resolve the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine. How transmits Reuters, at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference, Subianto called for a demilitarized zone and a UN referendum.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is a security forum held annually in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. This year, the conference takes place from June 2 to 4.
“I propose that the Shangri-La Dialogue find a way (…) to make a voluntary statement calling on both Ukraine and Russia to start peace talks immediately,” the Indonesian minister said.
According to the agency, Subianto came up with a plan whose points include:
a ceasefire “on the current positions of the two conflicting parties”; creation of a demilitarized zone by withdrawing the soldiers of the two camps 15 kilometers from the forward positions.
According to the minister, the demilitarized zone should be placed under the supervision of UN peacekeeping forces. In addition, the Indonesian side is convinced of the need to organize a referendum at the UN, “in order to know objectively the will of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed territories”, writes Reuters.
As the agency recalls, last year Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited Moscow and Kiev and offered to mediate between the parties. At that time, Indonesia was the chairman of the G20 (G20).
What they say in Kiev
The Indonesian plan has already provoked a reaction in Kyiv: the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko declared that between Ukraine and Russia there are no “disputed territories” where referendums are necessary. Nikolenko said a ceasefire, a 15 kilometer disengagement of forces and the creation of a demilitarized zone “will not work”. A ceasefire “without the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory” will give Russia the opportunity to “buy time, regroup, gain a foothold in the occupied territories and accumulate forces for a new wave of aggression,” says Nikolenko.
The plan was also proposed in Beijing
Previously, a peace plan for the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was offered by China, which prepared the correspondent document on the anniversary of the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Key points of the plan included respecting countries’ sovereignty, ceasing fighting and resuming peace negotiations. The plan has been criticized in Washington – in particular, US President Joe Biden issued a statement that Beijing’s initiative only benefits Moscow. NATO and the EU too reacted skeptical of the plan.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote in late May, citing unnamed Western officials, that Chinese Foreign Ministry special representative Li Hui, who deals with the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, urged Europe to advocate a ceasefire in Ukraine with Russia retaining its new regions.
Li Hui himself denied the WSJ data, suggesting it was an “attempt to sow discord between China and Ukraine” (quoted by Associated press ). The Chinese diplomat urged “to stop sending weapons to the battlefield”, stressing that otherwise “the tension will only worsen”.
However, he declared , speaking in Beijing on Friday June 2, that Russia and Ukraine in the current situation “could be quite difficult to sit at the table for fruitful negotiations”. In May, Li Hui held meetings in Kiev, Moscow, Warsaw, Paris, Berlin and Brussels, seeking to help resolve the crisis.
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