Jakarta. The Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry has summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador in Jakarta to express “displeasure” after the latter allegedly criticized Jakarta for lack of condemnation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a spokesman said on Friday.

Ambassador Vasyl Hamianin was asked to clarify his social media post in which he implied that Indonesia’s stance towards Russia isn’t as harsh as the one towards Israel.

His particular tweet was a response to the ministry’s post last weekend that reads: “Indonesia strongly condemns the attacks carried out by Israel in Gaza which resulted in civilian casualties, including children.”

To which Hamianin replied: “How about strong condemnation of brutal attacks on Ukraine during the last 5 months? And deaths of hundreds if not thousands of children, including Muslim kids?”

Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Hamianin was received by Ngurah Swajaya, the director general for American and European affairs, who expressed “displeasure and resentment” at the tweet that questions Indonesia’s foreign policies. 

"His social media post is bot unacceptable and hurtful to the Indonesian people who consider Ukrainians as friends," Teuku told Detikcom news website.

He added that the envoy has been warned against repeating his action.

On August 5, Hamianin also criticized the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry for taking part in the meeting between Russia and Southeast Asia’s regional grouping ASEAN which took place in Phnom Penh a day earlier.

Shortly after the meeting, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi released a statement describing Russia as a long-time partner of ASEAN and expressing Indonesia’s hope that the partnership between the regional bloc and Russia “will bring peace and prosperity in accordance with the UN Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the principles of the international law”.

“It was a surprise to read the statement by @Kemlu_RI [Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry] on Russia-ASEAN meeting. May I ask what Moscow regime has in common with ‘peace and prosperity’? Is it not Russia that violated all imaginable international rules, principles and UN Charter? Russia is a TERRORIST STATE,” he wrote.

Indonesia is among the first countries around the globe that quickly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February.

President Joko Widodo has traveled to Kyiv and Moscow and held talks with Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin to offer peaceful resolutions and convince both that the ongoing war causes food and energy crises around the globe.