Putin to be no-show at G20 summit in Indonesia
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend a gathering of leaders from the Group of 20 nations on the resort island of Bali next week, Indonesian and Russian officials said on Thursday. Putin will instead be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the officials said. The Russian president is set to join one of the meetings at the summit virtually, said Jodi Mahardi, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs. As G20 host, Indonesia has resisted pressure from Western countries and Ukraine to withdraw its invitation to Putin from the summit and expel Russia from the group over the war in Ukraine, saying it does not have the authority to do so without consensus among members. A spokesperson at Russia's embassy in Indonesia confirmed Putin would not attend the summit, but did not provide further explanation. Indonesian President Joko Widodo had been attempting to mediate the geopolitical friction between powers in the G20. "(The president) has tried to ensure that everyone cools down and that seems to be happening now," Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told local media in Bali. Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has said he would not take part if Putin does and was expected to join virtually. A number of other world leaders are due to attend the summit that starts on November 15, including President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden. (Reuters)