Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to attend the G20 Summit in Indonesia later this year, the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia said on Wednesday, rejecting suggestions by some G20 members who could be banned by Russia.
The United States and the Western Allies assess whether Russia must remain in the group of twenty major economies after the invasion of Ukraine, the sources involved in the discussion told Reuters.
But every effort to exclude Russia is likely to be heated by others in the group, raising the prospects of several countries instead of missing the G20 meeting, the sources said.
The Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, which currently holds the spinning G20 seat, Putin said intends to travel to the Island of the Indonesian Bali Resort for the G20 summit in November.
“It will depend on many things, many things, including the Covid situation, which is getting better. So far, the intention is … he wants to,” Ambassador Lyudmila Vorobieva said at a press conference.
Asked about Russian suggestions can be excluded from the G20, he said it was a forum to discuss economic issues and not a crisis like Ukraine.
“Of course Russian expulsion from this kind of forum will not help this economic problem be resolved. Instead, without Russia it will be difficult to do it.”
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to comment on the call so that Russia was excluded from the G20.
Russia launched its southern neighbor’s invasion on February 24.
Putin said Russia was carrying out “special military operations” to stop the Ukrainian government from conducting genocide – West allegations called unfounded fabrication.
Vorobieva urged Indonesia not to be affected by pressure from Western countries.
“We truly hope that the Indonesian government will not give up on the terrible pressure applied not only for Indonesia but so many other countries in the world by the West,” Vorobieva said, who said Russia was actively taking part in all G20 meetings.
Russia faces international sanctions led by Western countries that aim to isolate it from the global economy, including turning it off from the Global Bank’s Messaging System and limiting transactions by the central bank.
On Tuesday, Poland said he had suggested to US Commerce officials that he replaced Russia in the G20 group and that the suggestion had received a “positive response”.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said G20 members had to decide but the problem was not priority now.
“When you arrive at the question of how to continue with the WTO and the G20, it is very important to discuss this question with the countries involved and do not decide individually,” Scholz said.
“It’s very clear that we are busy with something else than coming together in such meetings. We really need a ceasefire.”
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan asked if President Joe Biden would move to push Russia out of the G20 when he met allies in Brussels this week, told reporters at the White House: “We believe that it cannot become a business for Russia. International institutions And in the international community. “
However, the United States plans to consult allies before other statements, he said.
The European Union Source separately confirmed the discussion about Russian status at the G20 meeting.
“It has been made very clear for Indonesia that the presence of Russia at the meeting of the upcoming minister will be very problematic for European countries,” said the source, however, there was no clear process to exclude a country.
Deputy Provincial Governor of the Central Bank, Dody Budi Waluyo, said that on Monday Indonesia’s position was one of the neutrality and it would use the G20 leadership to try to solve the problem but Russia had a “strong commitment” to attend and other members could not forbade it.