Indonesia: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 conference in Indonesia next week to avoid a possible conflict with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine.
The two-day summit in Bali begins on 15 November. It will be attended by world leaders including US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin were scheduled to meet at the summit for the first time since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Mr. Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the head of support for G20 activities, informed reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia that Russian Foreign Minister Mr. Sergei Lavrov will lead the country’s delegation to the event.
The Indonesian government respects the decision of the Russian government, which President Putin himself previously explained to President Joko Widodo in a very friendly telephone conversation
The Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment, Mr. Pandjaitan stated.
Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has also been invited by Indonesia but has stated that he will not attend if Vladimir Putin does. It is not yet known whether Mr. Lavrov will represent Russia at all three summits taking place in Southeast Asia this week and next, the G20 meeting being the largest.
Mr. Putin’s decision to skip the G20 summit comes at a time when Russia’s soldiers have suffered serious defeats in Ukraine. The Russian military has declared that it will leave Kherson, the only Ukrainian provincial capital it has taken under its control and a key access point to Russian-occupied Crimea.
General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, cited recently that Russia’s announced withdrawal from Kherson and a possible winter standoff could offer both nations a chance to reach an agreement.