Kremlin: Putin Plans to Participate in G20 Summit

Advisor of Russian President Yuri Ushakov said President Vladimir Putin had accepted Indonesia's invitation to participate in the G20 summit.

Ushakov noted that the form of participation was still being determined.

"We have received the official invitation... and we have responded positively, saying we are interested in participating," the advisor told reporters on Monday.

At the same time, Ushakov found it difficult to answer accurately the question of whether Putin would participate in person or via video, as he said, "The invitation is for participation in person, but here is still a lot of time. I hope that the pandemic will allow this event to be held in person."

The United States and other Western countries have tried to pressure Indonesia, which chairs the G20 this year, to prevent Russia from participating in the summit to be held on the Indonesian Island of Bali in November.

In response, the Indonesian authorities explained that "the invitation has been sent to Russia and cannot be withdrawn, the G20 summit is studying the economic issues and politics cannot influence its agenda."

In the same vein, Chancellor Olaf Scholz mentioned that the host country, Indonesia has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the summit, and the G20 leaders will have eventually to make a decision shortly before travel because world events can change very dramatically by this date.

In the same vein, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had expressed her opposition to a boycott of the G20 summit, even if Putin participated in it.

"We have to consider very carefully whether we paralyze the entire G20; I don’t advocate that. In my opinion, G20 is too important, also for the developing countries, the emerging countries, that we should let this body be broken by Putin," Ursula said in statements to German TV Channel Two.

She added that the G20 is very important from her point of view even for developing and emerging countries, and therefore the summit leaders should not allow this group to be disrupted because of the Russian president.