It was thought unlikely anyway, but it has been resolved since Thursday: Vladimir Putin will not come in person to the G20 summit, which will take place on the Indonesian island of Bali on November 15-16. The Russian president sends Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to the meeting in his place. This has been confirmed by both the Indonesian government and the Kremlin.
Among those traveling to the top are US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine will be a central topic at the G20 talks in Bali. For many, the announcement of Putin’s rejection came as no surprise.
Putin was invited to a “constructive dialogue”.
The Southeast Asian island nation of Indonesia is chairing the G20 this year. Hosting the summit, President Joko Widodo had expressly invited the Russian head of state and said he was expecting him in Bali. Widodo had also announced a peace initiative for Ukraine. During the summit, Indonesia will invite everyone to “sit down and engage in constructive dialogue,” he said in late October.
Selenskyj is expected to participate via video
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also been invited to the summit, although his country is not a member of the G20. He had confirmed his participation a few days ago, probably via video. Earlier, Zelenskyy said he would not travel to the meeting if Putin was present. Zelenskyy denounces Russia as a “terrorist state” and calls for the “aggressor” to be excluded from the G20 group – in which Moscow is not completely isolated from supporters like China, India and Turkey.
Indonesian president: ‘These are not normal times’
President Widodo recently announced that 17 heads of state and government had committed to attend the important meeting. “In normal times, there are generally 17 or 18 heads of state or government present. But these are not normal times. So the presence of the same song is a very good thing.”
Lavrov caused a scandal at meetings in July
Putin’s announced representative, Foreign Minister Lavrov, had already caused a stir at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in July. He left the room immediately after his speech and did not even listen to the comments of his critics. He then accused the West of hindering a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. At the upcoming summit, the Russian delegation will meet again with the G7 heads of state and government, who have imposed far-reaching sanctions on Russia.
Putin will likely travel to another summit in Asia
However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that Putin will travel to Asia in the coming week: immediately after the G20 meeting in Bali, the political focus will be on the Thai capital Bangkok, where the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community will take place on 18 and 19 Nov. Russia also belongs to this group, as well as the US. US President Biden has already announced that he will send Vice President Kamala Harris as a representative to this meeting.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
