Prabowo Finally Speaks Out on Middle East Conflict, Acknowledges Difficulties

Jakarta — President Prabowo Subianto has finally spoken publicly about the conflict occurring in the Middle East. This statement was delivered by Prabowo during his speech while inaugurating 218 bridges online from his residence in Hambalang, Bogor, on Monday (9 March 2026).

Through his address, Prabowo was candid that Indonesia will face difficulties as a result of the ongoing wars. “We are not hiding behind systems already in place. We are facing difficulties with the attitude that we want to overcome them. We must be brave in overcoming difficulties. We are not concealing difficulties, we are not pretending difficulties do not exist,” Prabowo said on Monday, as cited from the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.

He also plans to provide further statements on the impact of this war on Indonesia. “We are grateful that the Indonesian nation actually has strength. We have great strength. But I must also be honest with all the people, and I will brief the entire Indonesian nation in the near future,” Prabowo said.

However, Prabowo believes Indonesia should be grateful as it has nearly achieved food self-sufficiency. “What I have fought for over many years, food self-sufficiency. In a situation of wars everywhere, in a situation where fuel prices are soaring very high which could affect food prices, we are grateful that we are nearly achieving food self-sufficiency,” Prabowo said.

He assured that Indonesia will also soon achieve the ability to meet protein requirements. “Whatever happens elsewhere where many other nations will experience difficulties, at minimum we are secure regarding food matters,” he said.

Prabowo also believes that one day Indonesia will not be dependent on importing fuel from abroad because it can produce it domestically. “The issue of fuel — for many years I have also fought for energy self-sufficiency. And we have great blessings from the Almighty that we will later be able to meet our fuel needs not from imports abroad, but even from our crops, from palm oil, from cassava, from maize, from sugarcane,” Prabowo said.