Putin’s play for an Indonesian airbase was always likely to fail – but Russia has wider ambitions

Russia remains a key arms supplier in South-east Asia, and Trump’s unstable leadership is providing more opportunities to make inroadsA defence industry report claiming that Russia requested a permanent base for its warplanes in Indonesia’s remote Papua region, right on Australia’s northern doorstep, sent Canberra into a tailspin. But in Indonesia, it was the frenzy whipped up in Australia’s tight election campaign that came as the real surprise.Foreign policy and defence