Defense Minister Reznikov brushes off Indonesia’s “peace plan”

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has dismissed a peace initiative recently proposed by his Indonesian counterpart Prabowo Subianto at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

That’s according to the South China Morning Post, Ukrinform reports.

“I will try to be polite,” Reznikov said, before starting his response to a question about the Indonesian plan.

“It sounds like [a] Russian plan, not [an] Indonesian plan,” he added, before branding the proposal a “strange plan” that had not been discussed with him.

The plan suggests an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, followed by a withdrawal of 15km (9.3 miles) each from their forward positions to form a demilitarised zone. The United Nations should form a monitoring and observance force to be deployed along the zone, and organise an eventual referendum in the disputed areas, the plan says.

Reznikov also said world leaders willing to negotiate in the war had formed a “queue,” but Ukraine needed “the tools for us to finish this war.”

In his closing remarks, the Ukrainian minister floated the idea that China could perhaps convince Russia to end the war as Moscow’s “older brother”, alluding to relations between the Soviet Union and the erstwhile Communist bloc.

“We don’t need a facilitator right now. Our country is still conducting war,” he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine earlier explained why the "peace plan" proposed by Indonesia would not work, and called on the country to join the implementation of the Ukrainian peace formula instead.