resident Prabowo Subianto is set to depart for Russia, the Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday, as he seeks to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in search of fuel amid disruptions to global oil supplies caused by the United States-Israeli war on Iran.
Foreign Minister Sugiono first announced on Saturday that Prabowo was headed for Russia soon for talks on energy and geopolitics, after the President previously hinted about going abroad again in search of oil supplies in response to criticism that he is spending too much of his time abroad.
The President’s visit comes on the heels of Prabowo’s four-day East Asia tour, visiting Japan and South Korean state leaders from March 29 to April 1.
This will mark Prabowo’s third visit to Russia since taking office, following trips to Saint Petersburg in June 2025 and Moscow last December. As president-elect, he was also received by President Putin in the Russian capital in July 2024 to discuss regional stability.
The visit is expected to include talks with President Vladimir Putin that include geopolitical developments and the “energy situation”, particularly on oil and alternative energy sources.
“[Oil] will be one of the issues the two leaders discuss because it is highly strategic for Indonesia,” Sugiono told reporters on Saturday on the sidelines of a national meeting of the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) in Central Jakarta.
The plan has been worked on since earlier in the week, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying on April 9 that preparations were underway for Prabowo’s meeting with Putin, Reuters reported.