Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow welcomed the development of military ties with Indonesia and was ready to assist Jakarta in nuclear energy, as he hosted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for talks at the Kremlin. Putin said the meeting would also address a slight decline in Russian wheat exports to Indonesia this year. It marked the second meeting between the two leaders in Russia in 2025, underscoring Moscow’s efforts to deepen ties with the Global South as it faces Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine. In televised remarks, Prabowo described bilateral relations as “excellent” and invited Putin to visit Indonesia in 2026 or 2027, following the Russian leader’s trip to India last week.
“If you consider it possible to engage our specialists, we are always at your disposal,” Putin said, referring to Russia’s experience in building nuclear power plants abroad. Indonesia has said it aims to construct its first nuclear power plant by 2032, with a planned capacity of 500 megawatts.
Putin also noted that Indonesia holds a small trade surplus with Russia in agricultural products and said Moscow was open to expanding cooperation. “The supply of wheat to your market has decreased slightly. This will also be a subject of our discussion today,” he said.
Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, resumed shipments to Indonesia in October after a pause that began in January due to negotiations over market access. Russia’s agricultural safety watchdog said Indonesia’s Quarantine Agency agreed in August to extend safety certificates for Russian grain, enabling a shipment of 52,000 metric tons of wheat in October.
Russia’s agricultural export agency Agroexport estimated total grain exports to Indonesia at around 1.3 million tons in 2024, mostly wheat. Before the new agreement, Russia had shipped only 123,000 tons of grain to Indonesia earlier this year, all in January. Moscow is seeking to diversify wheat exports toward Asia, though it faces growing competition from the United States, whose shipments are expected to rise following new trade agreements with Asian countries.
On security cooperation, Putin said military ties between Russia and Indonesia were “developing” and characterized by professional cooperation. “Indonesian specialists are constantly training at our universities, including military academies,” he said.
The two countries conducted their first joint naval exercises in the Java Sea in November 2024. Prabowo has maintained Indonesia’s long-standing non-aligned foreign policy, pledging to engage with all countries while avoiding formal military alliances. Russia has praised what it describes as Indonesia’s balanced position on the war in Ukraine.
December 11, 2025, The Jakarta Post
(https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2025/12/11/putin-meets-prabowo-to-discuss-military-and-energy-ties-wheat-exports.html)