Indonesia, Russia Seek to Revive Sanctions-hit Military Cooperation

Looking to revive military cooperation with Indonesia that has been put on hold due to American sanctions, Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday.

During his meetings with Indonesian defense minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Shoigu said both countries are committed to exploring deeper collaboration in military technology cooperation.

This step is expected to strengthen military capabilities and promote the modernization of the defense of both countries.

Russia would like Jakarta to forward with a plan to purchase Su-35 fighter jets that had been put on hold following American pressure. Jakarta has signed a MoU with Boeing to buy the F-15 instead.

Russia has also offered deep modernization of Indonesian Su-30 aircraft along the lines of its cooperation with India for the Su-30MKI aircraft.

Indonesia and Russia will explore opportunities to collaborate through the Military Technical Cooperation Forum known as the Intergovernmental Commission for Military Technical Cooperation. This forum is the main platform for discussing various cooperation initiatives, an Indonesian MoD press release said.

In addition, the two countries also established a consultation forum for coordination on the planned military cooperation activities in 2025. As part of this forum, the Indonesian Ministry of Defense plans to send a delegation to Russia to discuss the defense cooperation planned for 2026.