IP26017
Author: Radityo Dharmaputra
Published: 28 January 2026
Russia’s expanding presence in Indonesia has become a visible feature of Jakarta’s external engagement in recent years. High-level visits to Russia in July 2024, during the transition period, and again in June and December 2025, followed by Indonesia’s decision to sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), have given Moscow a diplomatic and institutional foothold in Southeast Asia at a time when it remains constrained across much of the Western political and economic system.
These moves may appear to signal a strategic turn towards Moscow. Yet the material foundations of the relationship remain thin. Trade volumes are modest, investment projects limited, and defence cooperation largely symbolic. The puzzle, therefore, is why the relationship appears politically warm in the absence of clear economic or security payoffs.
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The article was published by RSIS.
The Romanian Institute for Europe-Asia Studies (IRSEA) and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), NTU have agreed to enter into an informal agreement on republishing their studies and analysis.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or view of IRSEA.