Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summits in Bali next week, an Indonesian government official said on Thursday, as the Kremlin seeks to protect the president from potential high-level tensions over his invasion of Ukraine.
Putin will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Jodi Mahardi, a spokesperson for the Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment affairs, said.
The Russian president is due to join one of the meetings virtually, he said.
Ending months of suspense, Putin’s decision avoids potential confrontations with other world leaders, including US President Joe Biden who has labeled the Russian president a “war criminal”.
The Kremlin also risked Putin being shunned by European leaders at the November 15-16 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Biden in March said Russia should be ejected from the G20 in retaliation for the invasion that has triggered Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II and raised fears of nuclear escalation.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo refused to withdraw the invitation to Putin as his country, which holds the G20’s rotating presidency, sought to maintain a neutral position. Instead, Widodo also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the summit as a guest.
Zelensky spoke with Widodo by phone last Thursday about preparations for the G20 and later told reporters that he would not take part in the summit if Putin attends.
