Indonesian president says delivers Zelensky's message to Putin
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Indonesian president expresses "readiness" to help start "communication" between Kiev and Moscow.
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Indonesian president Joko Widodo
On Thursday, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he delivered a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Putin hosted Widodo more than four months into Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, as the country seeks to pivot toward Asia and Africa in the aftermath of unprecedented Western sanctions.
This year, Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 and is preparing to host a summit in Bali in November.
After talks with the Kremlin chief in comments translated into Russian, Widodo said: "I conveyed President Zelensky's message to President Putin".
Widodo went on to say that he expressed his "readiness" to help start "communication" between the two Presidents.
He didn't say anything else, and neither party revealed what was in the note.
Widodo was in Kiev on Wednesday before heading to Moscow to meet Putin, who sent troops into pro-Western Ukraine on February 24.
"Although the external situation is still difficult, it is still important to move towards a settlement and open dialogue," Widodo said in Moscow.
He stated that his country wishes for "the war to end soon."
"I call on all world leaders to revive the spirit of cooperation," Widodo added.
Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko Widodo took off on Sunday to Europe with plans on visiting Russia and Ukraine to meet with the countries' leaders to push for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, and it is under mounting pressure from the West, mainly the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting in a bid by Washington to further undermine Moscow's significant role in the international arena.
Jakarta, however, has tried to maintain a neutral position regarding Russia and Ukraine, calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict that has been unfolding for months now.
Despite Indonesia's position, Widodo refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to requests from Zelensky, instead offering humanitarian aid to Kiev.
Zelensky has asked almost every country in the world to send arms to his country, and though many, like Germany, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom were happy to grant him his wishes, numerous states have adhered to their neutrality on the war, only sending humanitarian aid and calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
