Vladimir Putin has not decided to attend the G20 summit

Posted On: November 3, 2022

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President of Russia Vladimir Poutine until Wednesday November 2, 2022, has not decided whether or not to attend the G20 summit. Amid Western criticism of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and demands for Russia’s expulsion from the G20, Putin still clings to his attendance at the high-level meeting to be held in Bali in November 2022.

“No, the decision (to attend the G20 summit) has not been taken yet,” Putin said during an interview with reporters in Sochi on Monday, Oct. 31, 2022.

The face-to-face G20 summit will be held in Bali on November 15-16, 2022. This year’s presidency is focused on post-pandemic global economic recovery, with priorities in the areas of health, digital transformation and energetic transition.

However, the meeting of heads of state of the G20 members this time was overshadowed by the global crisis in the food and energy sector, triggered by the Russian-Ukrainian war. In several ministerial meetings, several Western countries led by the United States have strongly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the food and energy crisis.

Until November 2022, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has not ended. Ukraine has regained most of the territory previously occupied by Russia in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Russia has stepped up its missile strikes on key infrastructure and civilian targets.

Russia has also been criticized by Western countries for pulling out of a grain and grain export deal through the Black Sea. Moscow had previously pulled out of the deal under the UN over security concerns.

Padjadjaran University international relations professor Teuku Rezasyah said Putin (projected) would always come to Bali regardless of political pressure from the West on Russia. He said Putin would use G20 summit explain the background of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis from different angles, including the provocations of Ukraine and NATO.

“Putin is not worried about Western pressure because the West is already divided due to the dependence of some of its members on energy from Russia,” Rezasyah told Tempo on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has proposed to exclude Russia from the G20. Ukraine has also called for the invitation to attend the G20 summit for Putin in Bali next month to be withdrawn.

“Putin has publicly admitted to ordering missile strikes against Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Twitter on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

“With bloodstained hands, he must not sit at the same table as world leaders. Putin’s invitation to the Bali summit must be revoked and Russia removed from the G20,” Nikolenko added.

Responding to Ukraine’s insistence, Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah told Tempo, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Inclusiveness is one of the principles Indonesia upholds . This year’s G20 presidency is held by Indonesia.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the exclusion or expulsion of G20 members is not only under the authority of the presidency but should be taken by a joint decision by consensus.

“Throughout the history of the G20, everything has been taken by consensus. So we say, if that’s what everyone wants, yes the presidency will run. The question is, will everyone wanna ?” said Retno during an interview with Tempo, October 21, 2022.

Apart from not deciding whether to attend the G20 summit, Putin is also considering the shape of his attendance at the APEC member country leaders’ meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on November 19, 2022.

Last week, at the 19th annual meeting of the Valdai discussion club in Moscow, the Russian leader said the possibility of him attending the G20 summit in Indonesia next month still exists. Cheese fries admitted he was still thinking about it, but assured that Russia would still be represented at the G20.

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