In order to avoid a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 Summit in Indonesia next week, an Indonesian government official said Thursday.
US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other world leaders are to attend the two-day summit in Bali that starts November 15. Biden, who has called Putin a "war criminal” would have come face to face for the first time with Putin since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. "I can confirm that (foreign minister) Sergei Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation to the G20. President Putin's program is still being worked out, he could participate virtually," said Yulia Tomskaya, the embassy's chief of protocol.
Moreover, Moscow's top diplomat walked out of a July G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Bali after officials roundly condemned Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the summit virtually. Zelensky had threatened to boycott the summit if Putin attended. Ukraine is not a member of the G20 bloc.
Increasing isolation
Host Indonesia pursues a neutral foreign policy and has rebuffed Western calls to disinvite Russia from the summit.
Biden administration officials said they had been coordinating with global counterparts to isolate Putin if he had decided to participate either in person or virtually. They have discussed boycotts or other displays of condemnation.
While US President Joe Biden has shunned contact with his Russian counterpart, France has warned against worsening Putin's isolation on the world stage.
French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken to Putin in recent months and succeeded in gaining permission for a mission by the UN nuclear watchdog to travel to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
