Indonesia rejects report Russia has requested to base aircraft 1300km from Australia

Indonesia has dismissed a report that Russia has submitted a request to base long -range aircraft on a military base only 1300 kilometers from Darwin.

The news had an impact on the electoral campaign when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought the clarification and opposition leader Peter Dutton raised questions about when the Labor leader knew.

But tonight, Defense Minister Richard Marles said he had spoken with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin.

“It has told me in the clearest possible terms, the reports of the perspective that the Russian airplanes that operate from Indonesia are simply not true,” Marles said in a statement.

The spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Indonesia, Frega Wenas, told Reuters that “the report is incorrect.”

Janes He had reported that the Indonesian Ministry of Defense was in “consultation with the political leaders of other government departments” on how to deal with the application.

Both leaders of Australia strongly rejected the idea that a Russian president Vladimir Putin had a military presence in the region.

“Obviously we do not want to see the Russian influence in our region, very clearly,” Albanese said.

“We have a position, which is: we are with Ukraine, we consider Vladimir Putin as an authoritarian leader who has broken international law, which is attacking the sovereignty of the Nation of Ukraine.”

Dutton described Putin as a “murderous dictator.”

“We do not welcome his presence in our neighborhood,” Dutton added.

“It is deeply destabilizing.”

Today early, Albanese said he was looking for an “adequate clarification” of Indonesia.

“That is the way it deals with international relations, making sure that it is not flying from the hip,” said Albanese.

Dutton described the Russian application informed a “catastrophic failure of diplomatic relations” if the prime minister did not know until today.

“We need to make sure the government explain exactly what has happened here,” Dutton said.

Speaking before receiving the guarantees of Sjamsoeddin, Marles said that Australia was in contact with her nearby neighbor in a “higher level.”

“We have a very close relationship with Indonesia and we have a growing defense relationship with Indonesia, we have already been committed to [Indonesia] According to this request, “said Marles.

“At this point, Indonesia has not responded to this request.

“We will continue to interact with Indonesia in a way that corresponds to this friendship.”

The intrigue occurred after Russian official Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, traveled to Yakarta in February of this year to meet with Sjamsoeddin.