G20: ‘Strong likelihood’ Putin won’t attend summit in Bali, with Ukraine’s Zelensky to take part, likely virtually
- Indonesian president aide said ‘strong likelihood’ Russian president would not be there. Ukraine’s Zelensky will participate, his office said.
- ‘It doesn’t mean Russia will not be present’, aide said; several nations have indicated they may not participate if Putin attends
Russia’s Vladimir Putin is unlikely to travel to Bali to attend the G20 summit next week, an aide to the Indonesian president said on Tuesday, potentially resolving a diplomatic dilemma for the summit hosts.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo had invited Putin to the summit scheduled for November 15-16 in Bali, but the Kremlin has so far not confirmed the Russian leader’s plans.
“There’s a strong likelihood that President Putin will not come, but it doesn’t mean Russia will not be present. It will be present, but it may not be the president,” said Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, a member of the president’s office.
Putin’s participation in the summit has been highly disputed in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and several countries have indicated that they may not participate if Putin attended in person.
Widodo said on Tuesday that 17 leaders had confirmed their participation at the summit.
01:55
Putin U-turn allows safe passage for Ukrainian grain just days after exports were blocked
“During normal times, 17 or 18 [leaders] would be present. This is not a normal time, so the presence of the same number [of leaders] would be a very good thing,” he told reporters.