Earlier, the media reported that Jakarta would abandon Russian aircraft due to budget deficit
SINGAPORE, December 24. /tass/. The Russian side has not received notifications through diplomatic channels from Indonesia about the refusal to purchase 11 multifunctional Su-35 fighters. This was reported by the Russian Ambassador to Jakarta Lyudmila Vorobyova to the TASS correspondent on Friday.
"We do not have official information and official appeals from the Indonesian side," the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in Indonesia stressed.
The Indonesian media recently reported, with reference to the Chief of Staff of the republic's Air Force, Fajar Prasetyo, that due to the budget deficit, Jakarta will abandon Russian aircraft. It is noted that the local government has decided to consider the acquisition of French Rafale fighters and American Boeing F-15 EX.
The signing of a contract with Jakarta for the supply of 11 Su-35 fighters worth $ 1.1 billion was announced in early 2018. In July 2019, former Indonesian Ambassador to the Russian Federation Mohamad Wahid Supriyadi said that the delay in the implementation of the contract was due to the complexity of the trading scheme, which involved both government departments and companies.
In March 2020, Bloomberg reported that the Indonesian authorities decided to abandon plans to implement a contract with the Russian Federation for the supply of Su-35 due to a shortage of funds in the republic's budget caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as due to US threats to impose sanctions on Indonesia if this contract is fulfilled.
