The vessels included the corvette Gromkiy, the submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and the ocean tug Andrey Stepanov, according to the Russian embassy in Jakarta.

The ships arrived Sunday at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port, welcomed with a ceremony where the nations "emphasised the close and long-standing cooperative relationship in the naval sector", said an embassy statement posted on X with photos of the vessels.

It also underscored a joint "commitment to continue strengthening interactions to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region".

Over the coming days, the vessels will do "joint training in manoeuvres and communications".

Jakarta, while defending its non-aligned diplomatic posture, last year joined the BRICS bloc of emerging economies that includes Russia and US foe China.

But President Prabowo Subianto has also signed a trade deal with US President Donald Trump and joined his so-called "Board of Peace", offering thousands of peacekeepers for Gaza but refusing to pay the $1 billion fee for permanent membership.

Earlier this month, Prabowo said Indonesia could withdraw from agreements with Washington or any other partner if its own national interests were threatened.

Pieter Pandie, a researcher at the international relations department of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, an Indonesian think tank, told AFP the Russian visit was mainly symbolic.

"For Russia, it shows that there are still countries willing to engage with it despite the ongoing war in Ukraine and sanctions from the West," he said.

"For Indonesia, the motive is less clear outside of simply wanting to engage with all partners under Prabowo's so-called 'Good Neighbour Policy'."

mlr/mtp

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