Indonesia Proposes Demilitarized Zone, Deploying Peacekeepers in Ukraine

Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto called for an immediate end to hostilities in Ukraine and proposed a demilitarized zone in Ukraine.

Subianto was speaking at the ongoing ‘IISS Shangri-La Dialogue’ defence summit in Singapore.

The minister said the first priority is to achieve a complete ceasefire by both opposing sides. The second point of the high-ranking Indonesian functionary's initiative includes the creation of a demilitarized zone and the deployment of UN peacekeepers and a contingent of international peacekeeping forces.

The minister cited the conflict on the Korean Peninsula as an example.

“Each side withdraws 15 km from their current positions,” he said. “The UN should organize and hold a referendum in the disputed territories in order to objectively confirm the will of the majority of the inhabitants.”

Subianto assured that Jakarta is ready to actively participate in all of these processes, including sending its military as part of the relevant UN mission.

“I don’t know if what I have proposed can be accepted, but at least let’s try to present specific recommendations by reflecting them in a declaration,” Subianto summed up.