Indonesia's Defence Minister proposes "peace plan" including demilitarised zone and "UN referendum on disputed territories"

Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto proposed a "peace plan" to end the war, including the creation of a demilitarised zone and a UN referendum in what he called "disputed territories", at a meeting on the protection of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. 

This was reported by Reuters.

The proposed plan provides for a ceasefire "at the current positions of both sides of the conflict" and the creation of a demilitarised zone 15 kilometres on both sides of the front line.

The demilitarised zone should be observed and monitored by a peacekeeping force deployed by the UN, and a UN referendum should be held "to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas".

In response to Indonesia's "peace plan", Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said that "Russia must get out of Ukrainian territories, and Ukraine must restore its territorial integrity within internationally recognised borders. There can be no alternative scenarios". 

"There are no disputed territories between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to hold referendums there," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman wrote.

Nikolenko noted that the ceasefire, the disengagement of forces to a 15-kilometre distance and the creation of a demilitarised zone would allow Russia to gain time to regroup, gain a foothold in the temporarily occupied territories and build up forces for a new wave of aggression.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman invited Indonesia to join the implementation of the Peace Formula proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.