Indonesia hopes Ukraine war will end soon as Zelensky, Russia’s Putin accept G20 summit invite

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he has invited his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to the November meeting
He added ‘Indonesia wants to unite the G20’ amid pressure from the US and its allies to exclude Putin

Ukraine

Bloomberg

Published: 7:12pm, 29 Apr 2022

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The presidents of Russia and Ukraine have accepted invitations from Indonesia, the current chair of the Group of 20, for a big ticket summit in November.

The decision to invite both leaders shows the delicate balance the Southeast Asian country is trying to make as the G20 host this year. Russia is a member of the G20, and the countries in the grouping have been divided over their reaction to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said the pandemic and the war in Ukraine have an impact on the recovery of the global economy and it was in this context that he invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to the summit in separate calls with them over the week.

“I expressed my hope that the war can end soon and a peaceful solution through talks can progress,” he said in a speech. “We understand that G20 can be a catalyst for global economic recovery.”

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Friday Moscow has not yet decided whether Putin will attend the summit in person or virtually.

So far Putin has declined to meet with Zelensky even as the Ukrainian leader says it’s the only way to end the war. Talks for a temporary ceasefire have struggled for traction and there’s been no significant progress on a broader peace deal.

The US and some allies have been pressing Indonesia to extend an invitation to Ukraine, frustrated at Jakarta’s refusal to exclude Putin.

The host nation typically invites leaders from a handful of non-G20 states to attend as observers, though they don’t sit in on formal meetings.

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Russia has been heavily sanctioned by some G20 states for its war in Ukraine, and leaders including US President Joe Biden would be unlikely to sit at the same table as Putin if he joined the meeting.

Biden has said he would support Russia being evicted from the G20 entirely, although other members like China have opposed that.

Russia was evicted from the smaller Group of Eight following Putin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.

“Indonesia wants to unite the G20. Don’t let there be division,” Widodo said. “Peace and stability are the keys to the global economy’s recovery and development.”