Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to attend November’s G20 summit, setting up a showdown between him and world leaders amid his ongoing bloody invasion of Ukraine.
The summit will be held on the Indonesian island of Bali later this year and the country’s President Joko Widodo confirmed the Russian leader’s attendance today.
In a statement to his cabinet, he said: “Indonesia wants to unite the G20. Don't let there be a split. Peace and stability are the keys to the recovery and development of the world economy,”
Widodo also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who tweeted he "thanked Indonesian leader Joko Widodo for the invitation to attend the G20 summit” for the invite, but did not confirm his attendance.
The news comes week after US President Joe Biden said Russia should be barred from G20 over its decision to invade Ukraine.
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This would mark the first in-person meeting between Putin and world leaders in what would undoubtedly be a tense encounter if the Kremlin boss does attend.
Widodo said he had spoken to Putin by phone and the Russian leader had "provided an update on the situation in Ukraine including the ongoing negotiation process between Russia and Ukraine."
"Putin expressed his gratitude for the invitation to the G20 summit and he said he would attend," Widodo said.
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry confirmed last month that the country would “remain impartial” and invite all G20 members, as per established procedures.
Last month, Russia’s ambassador to Indonesia Lyudmila Vorobieva said that Putin intended, even then, to attend the summit, despite mounting opposition from the west.
Russia is one of the G20, the group of 20 major economies globally, and whilst Ukraine is not, in the past, the chair of the group have invited guest countries to attend.
The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the U.S. and the EU. Spain is invited as a permanent guest.
Whilst a number of G20 members have condemned Putin’s bloody invasion and supported Ukraine, others, such as China, India and South Africa, have not.
This comes as Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine continues into its third month, since it began on February 24.
Since then, almost five and a half million Ukrainians have been forced to flee the country alongside countless who have been displaced internally.
According to the latest UN figures 5,429,739 had fled Ukraine as of April 28, and whilst exact total of death tolls vary, tens of thousands have been killed so far.
Defence Secretary George Wallace said on Monday that about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed since the war began.
Ukraine have claimed the death toll is higher, at around 22,000 dead for Russia.
Zelensky told CNN last week that Ukraine had lost around 3,000 troops in fighting, and UN estimates suggest a similar number of civilians have been killed by Russian shelling as well.
