Indonesia proposes demilitarized zone, UN referendum on Ukraine peace plan

SINGAPORE, June 3 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s defense minister on Saturday proposed a peace plan for the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarized zone and a United Nations referendum on what it called disputed territory.

Prabowo Subianto called on defense and military officials from around the world gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting in Singapore to issue a statement calling for an end to hostilities.

He proposed a multi-point plan that includes a ceasefire “in effect at the current positions of both warring parties” and the establishment of a demilitarized zone by withdrawing 15 kilometers (almost 10 miles) from each party’s forward position.

The demilitarized zone should be observed and monitored by a United Nations-deployed peacekeeping force, he said, adding that a UN referendum should be held “to objectively determine the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas.

“I propose that the Shangri-La dialogue find a way of… voluntary declaration urging both Ukraine and Russia to immediately start peace negotiations,” Prabowo said.

Indonesia’s proposal follows a year-long visit by President Joko Widodo to Moscow and kyiv, where he offered to act as a peace broker between their leaders and revive peace talks. He was also president of the G20 group of major economies at the time.

Speaking on the same panel, Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission of the European Union, noted that if military support for Ukraine were to stop, the war would end quickly, but with that country’s sovereignty falling in the face of aggression. external.

“We cannot stop supporting Ukraine militarily because we don’t want the peace that is… the peace of surrender. The peace of the strongest,” Borrell said.

Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelenskiy has proposed a 10-point plan peace plan, which urges Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine. The top diplomatic adviser, Ihor Zhovkva, said Ukraine had no interest in a ceasefire that would ensure Russian territorial gains.

Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor; Edited by Gerry Doyle

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