 Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Sabianto held separate bilateral talks with Russian Vice Minister of Defense Alexander Faman and US Secretary of Defense Lodosten on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Defense Ministers meeting on November 16.The regional bloc's annual meeting comes as conflict rages on and the Middle East and Ukraine intentions rise over waters. In the South China Sea, where China is accused of aggression against the Philippines, which has. US backing and seeks to boost its military ties with Japan, other non-ASEAN partner countries participating in the talks are Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and China. While Myanmar is absent, Myanmar's generals have been barred from high-level meetings of the 10 member ASEAN since they seized power in a 2021 coup and unleashed violence on those who challenged their takeover.