Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Friday denied snubbing the G7 summit to visit Russia, in a speech at an economic forum alongside Vladimir Putin.
The former general declined an invitation to the G7 in Canada earlier this week in favour of talks with Putin in Saint Petersburg, a decision that raised concerns about Jakarta moving closer to Moscow.
Speaking at Russia’s landmark economic forum on Friday, Prabowo played down the decision.
“I was asked why I did not attend the G7, but I attended the Saint Petersburg Forum 2025,” he said.
“It’s not because I did not respect the G7, it’s because I gave my commitment to attend this forum before they invited me,” Prabowo told the event’s plenary session, where he sat next to Putin on stage.
“That’s the only reason. So please don’t read too much into the event… We want to be friends with everybody,” he added.
Prabowo and Putin held talks a day earlier, both hailing ties and calling for increased cooperation.
Indonesia maintains a neutral foreign policy, walking the diplomatic tightrope between regional competitors Beijing and Washington.
However, Prabowo has sought to diversify Jakarta’s alliances instead of relying solely on Western partners, causing anxiety that he could deviate from the traditional non-aligned foreign policy.
Closer ties with Moscow have sparked concern in Indonesia’s neighbour Australia.
