France and Indonesia vow to boost safety in Indo-Pacific as tensions between EU and Beijing persist

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — France and Indonesia 's top diplomats on Wednesday signed an agreement for a maritime security project aiming “to ensure peace and safety” at sea in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot’s visit to Jakarta, his second stop in his four-day Asia tour after Singapore, comes amid ongoing trade tensions between the European Union and Beijing.

He told reporters on Wednesday that the Indo-Pacific Port Security Project "is close to my heart,” promising France's support. Neither he nor his Indonesian counterpart Sugiono shared details of what the project will entail.

Earlier this month, during a discussion of the project at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Indonesia's naval chief of staff, Admiral Muhammad Ali, said it would address various maritime security challenges, including piracy, terrorism, and illegal activities at sea, and would likely involve collaboration among countries in the Indo-Pacific.

Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name, said the “maritime collaboration is important to realize a stable, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

Barrot said the project will support Indonesia as the world's largest archipelago nation with more than 17,000 islands, with a focus on securing two Indonesian ports, in the cities of Jakarta and Surabaya.

The two diplomats, who signed the agreement at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations headquarters in the Indonesian capital, said they also discussed strengthening their strategic partnerships and enhancing cooperation in various fields.

Military cooperation between France and Indonesia has grown in recent years.

French air force planes made a stopover in July In Jakarta as part of a visit to Southeast Asia that was meant to display France’s commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Last year, Indonesia purchased 42 Rafale and Dassault Aviation fighter jets and is expected to receive the first Rafale jets under the contract in 2026. It also announced the purchase of two French Scorpene Evolved submarines and 13 Thales Ground Control Interception radars. Five of the radar systems are expected to be installed in the country’s future capital, Nusantara, on Borneo island.

Barrot’s visit is also expected to help lay the groundwork for a meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and French President Emmanuel Macron, who is expected to visit the Southeast Asian country in May.

The French diplomat is set to travel to China, including stops in Beijing and economic hub Shanghai, on Thursday and Friday.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot talks to journalists during a joint press conference with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot listens during a joint press conference with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot talks to journalists during a joint press conference with Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, left, talks to journalists as Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono listens during their joint press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, right, talks to journalists as France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot listens during their joint press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, left, sits with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, right, during their bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, right, shakes hands with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot during their bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono, right, shakes hands with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot during their bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)