“When Russia invaded Ukraine, the West led the global campaign of condemnation. He calls on the world to denounce Russia in the name of human rights and international law,” he wrote. “Today, however, the same countries are allowing another bloody conflict, this time in Gaza. »
The comments come after Prabowo caused widespread controversy at last year’s Shangri-La Dialogue, while still Indonesia’s defense minister, by urging Ukraine to accept a Korean-style demilitarized zone with Moscow. This would effectively force kyiv to accept the loss of territories conquered by Russia.
Prabowo is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech in Singapore on Saturday.
Not the Asian war
Even before the violence in the Middle East, there were signs that Russia was winning the public relations war among developing countries. The latest Democracy Perceptions Index, an annual survey of more than 60,000 people in 53 countries, shows that support for Moscow gradually increased between 2022 and 2024 outside Europe and the United States.
The survey finds that while support for cutting economic ties with Russia remains strong in the US and EU, the situation is starkly different elsewhere in the world, where most say they want to maintain economic ties with Russia.
“There is a sense of weariness: some Southeast Asian countries want the war to end and are more relaxed than the West about the ‘how’,” said a senior European diplomat, who called for the anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “Furthermore, the ‘double standards’ argument with respect to Gaza has many appeals to some.”
Engaging these countries will be a major challenge for Ukraine as it faces a well-armed adversary and struggles to obtain the ammunition and manpower it needs to ensure victory.
Politico
