Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto met with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Tuesday and phoned to offer his congratulations to President-elect Donald Trump during an official visit to Washington.
“I will work very hard to strengthen the Indonesian-United States relationship, and I would like to work towards this end that we have a strong cooperation,” said Prabowo.
Prabowo, who has said he will pursue a non-aligned foreign policy, met with Biden in the Oval Office after posting a video of his call to Trump.
Washington sees Indonesia, the most populous country in Southeast Asia, as an essential partner in a region where its rival Beijing has deep trade and investment ties. Indonesia is also the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.
While China is a key economic partner for Indonesia, Jakarta has also become a big buyer of U.S. arms, and it wants to sell the West more metals from its mines.
INDONESIA DENIED SU-35 DISCUSSION
Indonesian Ambassador to Russia Jose Tavares confirmed last week that a $1.14 billion contract for acquiring 11 Su-35S fighter aircraft from Russia remains in shelf indefinitely. According to Indonesian news, the contract was terminated in early 2019 due to threats of sanctions by the United States Treasury Department.
The Indonesian air force revealed that Jakarta had scrapped the Su-35 jet deal in favour of US-made F-15s and France’s Rafale warplanes. In 2023, Indonesia inked a memorandum of understanding to buy 24 F-15EX fighter jets. The Defense Ministry has bought 42 Rafale jets; the first delivery is expected in 2026.
The acquisition of a new generation of Western fighters would end the hopes of purchasing Russian combat jets so that the Indonesian Air Force could operate a fully NATO-compatible combat fleet.
While Indonesia’s historical experience with U.S. and Western equipment strongly incentivizes de-risking its combat aviation, the country’s fighter fleet’s future remains uncertain. The government has agreed on deals for three fighter classes: the South Koran KF-21 and, more recently, the French Rafale and American F-15EX.
Indonesian security analyst Khairul Fahmi said Jakarta “is likely to focus on less politically sensitive purchases, such as armoured vehicles and short-range defence systems while deferring high-profile acquisitions like fighter jets or advanced missile systems to minimise geopolitical fallout.”
Indonesia began receiving weapons and military equipment from the Soviet Union in the late 1950s, but relations cooled during the Cold War.
Russian Ambassador to Indonesia Sergei Tolchenov recently told the press that Indonesia’s purchase deal for the Su-35 fighter jets is delayed indefinitely.
Russia is trying to transfer the jet technologies to Indonesia for local manufacturing. Russia is desperately seeking a third country to supply Western components of its fighter jets to Russia, as Russia cannot directly purchase those components anymore due to sanctions. Russia proposed local manufacturing offers to China, India and Algeria to bypass sanctions.
MINERALS DEAL
“We continue to encourage Indonesia to work with their legal experts to make sure any agreement they make with (the People’s Republic of China) is in accordance with international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre at a press briefing.
After the meeting, Biden and Prabowo pledged in a joint statement to expedite ongoing talks on critical minerals between the two countries.
Last year, resource-rich Indonesia, who wants to become a major player in the manufacturing of electric vehicles and their batteries, asked the U.S. to begin talks on a trade deal for critical minerals so that exports from the Southeast Asian country can be covered under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
TRUMP CALL
Prabowo’s office said he made the call to Trump on Monday after arriving in Washington. It did not immediately respond when asked if he is scheduled to meet Trump in person.
“Wherever you are, I’m willing to fly to congratulate you personally, sir,” Prabowo said in the video of the call posted on his social media accounts.
“We’ll do that, anytime you want,” Trump replied.
Trump described his own election victory as amazing, and said it gave him a big mandate.
He also said the Indonesian president was “very respected,” and praised his English, to which Prabowo, a former special forces commander, replied: “All my training is American, sir.”
Prabowo also met with several U.S. company representatives in Washington, his office said, including from Freeport McMoRan and energy company Chevron and urged the companies to invest in Indonesia.
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