Russian Ambassador: President Putin will attend the G20 Summit in Indonesia

According to Reuters (UK), Lyudmila Vorobieva – Russian Ambassador to Indonesia, which currently holds the rotating chair of the Group of 20 leading economies in the world (G20) – said that President Putin intends to visit Bali’s island of Bali. Indonesia to attend the G20 summit in November.

“This plan will depend on a lot of issues, including the COVID-19 situation, which is getting better. So far, President Putin’s intentions are what he wants,” Ambassador Vorobieva told a news conference.

Vorobieva’s statement appeared to have rejected suggestions by some G20 members that Russia could be excluded from the group of major economies.

Earlier, sources said that the US and its Western allies were considering the possibility of excluding Russia from the group of 20 leading economies in the world because of Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. However, any attempt to exclude Russia from the group could be vetoed by other members, such as China, India, and Saudi Arabia. This could lead to the possibility that some countries will not attend the G20 meetings.

When asked about the proposal that Russia could be excluded from the G20, Ms. Vorobieva emphasized that this is a forum to discuss economic issues, not about a crisis like Ukraine. “Of course, excluding Russia from this kind of forum will not help solve the current economic problems,” she said. On the contrary, without Russia, it is very difficult for us to do that.”

The Russian Ambassador to Indonesia also expressed hope that the Indonesian Government will not give in to the great pressure that the West is imposing not only on Jakarta but also many other countries around the world.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry declined a request for comment on calls to exclude Russia from the G20.

Russia is facing a wave of international sanctions led by Western countries aimed at isolating it from the global economy. Among the sanctions include removing Moscow from the global financial system (SWIFT) and restricting central bank transactions.

On March 22, Poland said that it had suggested to the US that it could become Russia’s replacement in the G20 and this proposal received a positive response from Washington. However, the US said it has not yet taken a position from the government’s perspective on the issue.

Asked this week if President Joe Biden was planning to exclude Russia from the G20, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “We believe that nothing can be assumed that nothing has happened. with Russia’s position in international organizations and in the international community”. However, Mr. Sullivan stressed that the US needs to plan to consult with allies before any decision is made.

A European Union source confirmed discussions about Russia’s position at the G20 meetings. “They have made it very clear to Indonesia that Russia’s presence at the upcoming meetings will be a big deal for European countries,” the source said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said G20 members will have to decide but the issue is not a priority right now.

On March 21, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Indonesia, Dody Budi Waluyo, said that Indonesia’s position is one of neutrality and that the country will use its G20 leadership to try to resolve the issues. However, Russia has made a strong commitment to attend this conference and other members cannot forbid them from doing so.