Forbes Indonesia Magazine - April 2022

In this issue

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, its humanitarian and economic impacts are more sharply coming into focus. Sanctions continue to be ramped up and there is public discourse as to whether Russia should be invited to the G20 summit due to be held in Bali this November, and if they are, whether other nations may choose to boycott the summit, or some parts of it. It’s a playbook seen before in 2014 when the G8 expelled Russia over the invasion of Crimea leaving a G7 seeking to align policies, including now, their response to the current crisis. Given the status quo of Russia’s continuing occupation of Crimea, the effectiveness of excluding Russia from the G20 is debatable. For the time being, President Joko Widodo’s intentions seem to be to invite Russia, and trust that an opportunity for reproachment can also lead to some positive steps in resolving the crisis. It’s an approach consistent with Indonesia’s usual foreign policy stance and one can hope that a meaningful resolution of the situation can be found in the meantime.