JAKARTA, June 26, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko
Widodo set off on Sunday to Europe where he said he plans to visit Russia and
Ukraine and meet with the countries' leaders to urge peace talks.

Widodo departed for Germany to attend as a guest for the G7 summit from June
26 to 27, and he will then go to the Ukraine capital Kyiv to meet President
Volodymyr Zelensky.

"The mission is to ask... President Zelensky to open a dialogue forum for
peace, to build peace because the war has to be stopped," he told a press
conference in Jakarta.

The two leaders will also discuss the food supply chain "that needs to be
reactivated" soon, Widodo said. From Kyiv, Widodo is scheduled to visit
Moscow and meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The visit to Moscow is planned for June 30, Indonesian authorities said
earlier.

"With the same mission, I will ask President Putin to open a dialogue and to
immediately have a ceasefire and to stop the war," he said. Earlier in April
Widodo announced he had called Zelensky and invited him to join world leaders
at G20 Summit in Bali in November 2022 as a guest.

Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year and has been
pressured by Western countries, led by the United States, to exclude Russia
from the meeting.

Widodo, however, did not rescind the invitation to Russia and said that Putin
has expressed his intention to attend the November summit.

Indonesia, like most major emerging economies, has tried to maintain a
neutral position and has called for a peaceful resolution to the months-long
conflict.

Widodo refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to a request from
Zelensky, instead offering humanitarian aid.

After concluding the European visit, Widodo will head to the United Arab
Emirates before returning to Indonesia.